The Blind Spot of Antibiotic Stewardship: Antibiotic Overuse at Discharge
Recorded On: 09/24/2019
Description:
Appropriate antibiotic use is critical to improve patient outcomes and reduce adverse harm and antibiotic resistance. Half of all antibiotic use related to acute hospitalization for infection occurs after hospital discharge, yet most antibiotic stewardship programs don’t target prescribing at discharge. Thus while antibiotics can be life-saving when prescribed appropriately, often times antibiotics prescribed at discharge extend beyond duration typically recommended for the infection, and are inappropriate or unnecessary. Dr. Vaughn, a hospitalist physician and hospitalist lead for an initiative to improve prescribing across the state of Michigan, will address the current state of antibiotic use at discharge, discuss why providers often overprescribe at discharge, and help improve prescribing, and patient outcomes, during care transitions.
Learning Objectives:
At the end of the activity, the learner should be able to:
- Restate why transitions of care are challenging stewardship environments;
- Identify drivers of antibiotic overuse in the transition from inpatient to outpatient care;
- Define practical strategies for streamlining antibiotic management at transitions of care.
Target Audience:
Nurses, advanced practice providers, physicians, emergency responders, pharmacists, medical technologists, respiratory therapists, physical/occupational therapists, infection prevention specialists, data/quality specialists, and more.
Webinar Supoprters
Sepsis Alliance gratefully acknowledges the support provided by bioMérieux, Inc. and Merck for this webinar.
Valerie Vaughn, MD, MSc
Assistant Professor
University of Michigan Medical School and Ann Arbor VA Healthcare System
Valerie Vaughn, MD, MSc is an Assistant Professor of Medicine and hospitalist physician at the University of Michigan Medical School and Ann Arbor Veteran’s Association Hospital. Her research focuses on improving the safety of hospitalized patients by combating healthcare associated infections and reducing antibiotic overuse, particularly at hospital discharge. She is Hospitalist Lead for an initiative to improve antibiotic prescribing in a 46-hospital collaborative, the Hospital Medicine Safety Consortium (http://mi-hms.org/coordinating-center). She has authored over 20 peer-reviewed papers, including high-profile articles JAMA, BMJ, Clinical Infectious Diseases, and Annals of Internal Medicine. She serves as Liaison for the Society of Hospital Medicine to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee and as a member of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America’s Research Committee.
Provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number CEP17068 for 1.6 contact hours.
Other healthcare professionals will receive a certificate of attendance for 1.25 contact hours.
Medical Disclaimer
The information on or available through this site is intended for educational purposes only. Sepsis Alliance does not represent or guarantee that information on or available through this site is applicable to any specific patient’s care or treatment. The educational content on or available through this site does not constitute medical advice from a physician and is not to be used as a substitute for treatment or advice from a practicing physician or other healthcare professional. Sepsis Alliance recommends users consult their physician or healthcare professional regarding any questions about whether the information on or available through this site might apply to their individual treatment or care.