C Diff Drug Stewardship

Introduction The use of antibiotics such as oral clindamycin has been effective in treating bacterial infections. However, this medication often comes with significant side effects, particula...

The study also found that HSSPs minimize health costs and provide additional revenue for health systems.

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 4, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Many general practitioners prescribe antibiotics for suspected community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) even when chest radiograph (CR) results are negative, according to a study published in the November/December issue of the Annals of Family Medicine. Juliette Pinot, M.D., from the Université Paris Cité and Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, and colleagues analyzed antibiotic

We see an increase in the number of people with colds and flu during the holiday season, as people get together more with others. Antibiotics are very important

Adapting implementation approaches and strategies as technology spreads.

Antibiotics can decrease the diversity and number of beneficial gut bacteria, allowing harmful bacteria to overgrow, writes Dr Bhuvan Shetty

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Bloodstream infections are associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. Early, appropriate antibiotic therapy is important, but the duration of treatment is uncertain. In a multicenter, non...

Our bundled intervention of ASP, PCT, and BCID among adult critically ill patients with sepsis was potentially cost-effective, but with substantial decision uncertainty.

The BALANCE trial suggests that shorter treatment durations may reduce healthcare costs, antibiotic exposure, and antimicrobial resistance risk, providing an alternative for critically ill patients.

By outlining a structured approach for the development and evaluation of CDS interventions, with focus on end user engagement, efficiency and feasibility, ASP and IP professionals can leverage CDS to enhance IP/ASP quality improvement initiatives aimed to improve antibiotic utilization, diagnostic s …

For many common infectious diseases in both adult and pediatric populations, a significant body of evidence now shows that short-course antimicrobials are just as ...

CDI prevalence increased with the number of antimicrobial classes used in combination. Certain types or combinations of antimicrobials may increase the OR for CDI.

George Sakoulas, MD, offered clinical considerations for treatment selection.

Led by Shruti K. Gohil, MD, MPH, the trials examined how computerized physician order entry prompts can reduce the use of extended-spectrum antibiotics in hospitalized patients while maintaining patient safety.

Intermountain Health researchers have received a grant to address the problem of antibiotic overuse and resistance in urgent care and outpatient clinics. The $356,000 grant from Merck will launch the Intermountain ReSCORE-UC project, which will be a two-year study to better understand how to maintain proper antibiotic prescribing in outpatient settings. The goal is to […]

We present a case of a 50-year-old man with chronic kidney disease (CKD) presenting with acute diarrhea and fever. He was admitted a month prior for COVID-19, where he received antibiotics for radiographic findings of pneumonia and elevated procalcitonin. In the emergency department, his stool sampl …

The winter season is known to be a host for many different viruses

The study was registered on the PROSPERO registry (CRD42023465986).

The pharmacist-driven weekend AMS is an opportunity for pharmacists to intervene and optimize patients' care plans. This initiative demonstrated significant increased AMS-related interventions, promoted judicious antimicrobial use, and contributed to a reduced length of hospital stay. Our findings n …

Background Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic, relapsing condition wherein biologics have improved disease prognosis but introduced elevated infection susceptibility. Vedolizumab (VDZ) demonstrates unique safety advantages; however, a comprehensive systematic comparison regarding the risk of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) between vedolizumab and alternative medications remains absent. Method Medline, Embase, Cochrane, and clinicaltrials.gov registry were comprehensively searched. Pooled estimates of CDI proportion, incidence, pooled risk ratio between ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD), vedolizumab and other medications were calculated. Data synthesis was completed in R using the package “meta”. Results Of the 338 studies initially identified, 30 met the inclusion/exclusion criteria. For CDI risk, the pooled proportion was 0.013 (95% CI 0.010–0.017), as well as the pooled proportion of serious CDI was 0.004 (95% CI 0.002–0.008). The comparative pooled risk ratios revealed: UC versus CD at 2.25 (95% CI 1.73–2.92), vedolizumab versus anti-TNF agents at 0.15 (95% CI 0.04–0.63) for UC and 1.29 (95% CI 0.41–4.04) for CD. Conclusion The overall CDI risk in IBD patients exposed to vedolizumab was estimated to be 0.013. An increased risk of CDI was noted in UC patients receiving vedolizumab compared to those with CD. Vedolizumab potentially offers an advantage over anti-TNF agents for UC regarding CDI risk, but not for CD. Trial registration The study was registered on the PROSPERO registry (CRD42023465986).

The study authors say knowledge about antibiotic-related harms will help patients, providers, and antibiotic stewardship programs.

Broad-spectrum antibiotics were associated with increased risk of ADEs among otherwise healthy adults treated for CAP in the outpatient setting. Antimicrobial stewardship is needed to promote judicious use of broad-spectrum antibiotics and ultimately decrease antibiotic-related ADEs.

With few exceptions, treatment can be shortened to 7 days, researcher says

A trial conducted in 7 countries found that a 7-day course of antibiotics for patients with bloodstream infections is non-inferior to a 14-day course.

Hematologic malignancies (HMs), including leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma, involve the uncontrolled proliferation of abnormal blood cells, posing significant clinical challenges due to their heterogeneity and varied treatment responses. Despite recent advancements in therapies that have imp …

Beta-lactam antibiotics and FQ antibiotics have a profound impact on the gut microbiota in kidney transplant recipients. Given the link of the gut microbiota to infectious complications, antibiotic associated changes in the microbiota may lead to an increased risk for further infections.