"Our mission remains driven by two goals:
to improve patient safety and enhance quality of care."
The misuse of opioids has captured the media spotlight recently, but inappropriate antibiotic use could have much more significant long-term implications for the practice of medicine.
DICON faculty Drs. Nick Turner, Rebekah Moehring, Deverick Anderson, and Sarah Lewis anser the question: What are the current trends in incidence rates of community-acquired and health care facility–associated Clostridioides difficile in US community hospitals?
Using data from 43 regional community hospitals, the DICON team found that the proportion of C. difficile cases classified as community acquired increased over time. The findings suggest that the proportion of community-acquired C. difficile infections is increasing over time and warrants further stufy to identify the factors behind this trend.
DCASIP Director, Dr. Dev Anderson, et al, tested two core antimicrobial stewardship interventions at four community hospitals in NC. The details of the study can be found on JAMA Network Open. They found that one of the care interventions -- post-prescription audit and review by a pharmacist after 72 house of therapy -- was feasible in facilities with limited resources and little to no antimicrobial stewardship expertise.
April Dyer and Rebkah Moehring were featured on The ICHE Podcast, hosted by the journal Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, to discuss their paper "Total duration of antimicrobial therapy resulting from inpatient hospitalization." The paper was published in August issue of ICHE and is available here.
Antimicrobial resistance is a major challenge for modern healthcare. The Duke Center for Antimicrobial Stewardship and Infection Prevention includes a unique portfolio of programs to fight this growing problem. We at CDC look forward to continuing our collaborations with Duke to help protect patients.
Dr Anderson and colleagues in the Duke Center for Antimicrobial Stewardship and Infection Prevention are world leaders in the important and essential fight to prevent infections and antimicrobial resistance. They are truly providing the 'guiding lights' and leadership for all to follow in this mission.
The Duke Center for Antimicrobial Stewardship and Infection Prevention is an important source for education and programmatic support for hospitals in the Southeastern US. In addition, their research on the epidemiology of multidrug-resistant pathogens and enhancing antibiotic stewardship is of high quality and public health value. I look forward to collaborating with Dr. Anderson and his expert colleagues for years to come.
