By Chris Cook, PharmD, Ph.D. In a follow-up study on antibiotic stewardship at small community hospitals, researchers at Intermountain Healthcare and University of Utah Health in Salt Lake City performed a study to identify how small community hospitals (<200 beds) can implement effective antibiotic stewardship programs. As described by Intermountain Healthcare, “For the 15 month-study, …
Hospitals with Fewer than 200 Beds More Likely to Have Inconsistent Efforts to Combat Antibiotic Resistance, Study Finds
By Chris Cook, PharmD, Ph.D. A group of researchers from Stanford University believes small hospitals in the U.S. need to focus on antibiotic stewardship, based on a research project that found hospitals with 200 beds or fewer were likely to have inconsistent efforts to reduce antibiotics overuse and misuse. “Antibiotic use and misuse is driving …
An Underappreciated Innovation, Zapping Microbes With Lasers Has Helped Identify Pathogens Faster Since 2013
By the bioMérieux Connection Editors In late 2013, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted 510(k) de novo clearance to the first mass spectrometer for identifying disease-causing bacteria and yeast for clinical use in the U.S. market. The technology is called Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization-Time of Flight mass spectrometry, or MALDI-TOF MS, and it uses a …
Continued Success of Small Hospital’s “Bug Squad” a Wake-Up Call for Healthcare Facilities Still Lagging in Antibiotic Stewardship
By the bioMérieux Connection Editors St. Luke’s Magic Valley (SLMV) Medical Center in Twin Falls, Idaho, provides a model case for how a small hospital can dramatically reduce overuse of antimicrobial drugs when the microbiology lab and pharmacy work collectively and continuously with the clinical staff on stewardship. St. Luke’s “Bug Squad” program saved the …
The Value of Diagnostics in Combatting Antimicrobial Resistance – A Public Health Problem
At this year’s World Anti-Microbial Resistance Congress, Dr. Tristan Timbrook delivered a...
Lindsay Denny Discusses the Critical Role of WASH in Preventing Infectious Diseases and Fighting Antimicrobial Resistance
WASH, which stands for water, sanitation, and hygiene, are basic...