Major ArticleImplementing an antibiotic stewardship program at a long-term acute care hospital in Detroit, Michigan
Section snippets
Background
Based on the overwhelming evidence that implementation of antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) in health care settings limits antimicrobial resistance (AMR), improves treatment efficacy, and reduces treatment-related costs, the Joint Commission (JC) developed antimicrobial stewardship standards that became effective on January 1, 2017.1 Compliance with the standards requires hospitals to establish an evidence-proven ASP as an organizational priority.1
Long-term acute care hospitals (LTACHs)
Methods
The study was conducted at a 76-bed LTACH in metropolitan Detroit, Michigan, and was approved by the ethics committee.
HCP survey
Twenty-six HCP, including physicians, physician assistants, nurses, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, and infection control practitioners, participated in the survey. Seventeen HCP strongly agreed that AMR was a national problem, 16 strongly agreed that it was a problem in long-term care facilities, and 10 strongly agreed that it was a problem at their facility.
Twenty-one respondents were familiar with infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin-resistant
Discussion
Our study assessed knowledge, attitude, and perception of antibiotic use and resistance among HCP, while implementing a successful and sustainable ASP tailored for an LTACH.
Our survey showed that 17 of 26 HCP (65%) strongly agreed that AMR was a national problem; however, only 10 (38%) strongly agreed that it was a problem at their own facility. This indicates that HCP are generally aware of the growing problem of AMR, but they often underestimate the magnitude of the problem at their own
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Cited by (0)
Conflicts of interest: None to report.