A pilot study using telehealth to implement antimicrobial stewardship at two rural Veterans Affairs medical centers

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (10) ◽  
pp. 1163-1169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren D. Stevenson ◽  
Richard E. Banks ◽  
Krysttel C. Stryczek ◽  
Christopher J. Crnich ◽  
Emma M. Ide ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Acute Care ◽  
Antimicrobial Stewardship ◽  
Veterans Affairs ◽  
Acceptance Rate ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Limited Access ◽  
Medical Centers ◽  
Veterans Affairs Medical Centers

AbstractObjectiveTo test the feasibility of using telehealth to support antimicrobial stewardship at Veterans Affairs medical centers (VAMCs) that have limited access to infectious disease-trained specialists.DesignA prospective quasi-experimental pilot study.SettingTwo rural VAMCs with acute-care and long-term care units.InterventionAt each intervention site, medical providers, pharmacists, infection preventionists, staff nurses, and off-site infectious disease physicians formed a videoconference antimicrobial stewardship team (VAST) that met weekly to discuss cases and antimicrobial stewardship-related education.MethodsDescriptive measures included fidelity of implementation, number of cases discussed, infectious syndromes, types of recommendations, and acceptance rate of recommendations made by the VAST. Qualitative results stemmed from semi-structured interviews with VAST participants at the intervention sites.ResultsEach site adapted the VAST to suit their local needs. On average, sites A and B discussed 3.5 and 3.1 cases per session, respectively. At site A, 98 of 140 cases (70%) were from the acute-care units; at site B, 59 of 119 cases (50%) were from the acute-care units. The most common clinical syndrome discussed was pneumonia or respiratory syndrome (41% and 35% for sites A and B, respectively). Providers implemented most VAST recommendations, with an acceptance rate of 73% (186 of 256 recommendations) and 65% (99 of 153 recommendations) at sites A and B, respectively. Qualitative results based on 24 interviews revealed that participants valued the multidisciplinary aspects of the VAST sessions and felt that it improved their antimicrobial stewardship efforts and patient care.ConclusionsThis pilot study has successfully demonstrated the feasibility of using telehealth to support antimicrobial stewardship at rural VAMCs with limited access to local infectious disease expertise.

Changes in antibiotic use following implementation of a telehealth stewardship pilot program

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (7) ◽  
pp. 810-814 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brigid M. Wilson ◽  
Richard E. Banks ◽  
Christopher J. Crnich ◽  
Emma Ide ◽  
Roberto A. Viau ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antibiotic Stewardship ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
Antibiotic Use ◽  
Veterans Affairs ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Medical Centers ◽  
Stewardship Program ◽  
Days Of Therapy ◽  
Veterans Affairs Medical Centers

AbstractStarting in 2016, we initiated a pilot tele-antibiotic stewardship program at 2 rural Veterans Affairs medical centers (VAMCs). Antibiotic days of therapy decreased significantly (P < .05) in the acute and long-term care units at both intervention sites, suggesting that tele-stewardship can effectively support antibiotic stewardship practices in rural VAMCs.

scholarly journals Epidemiology and clinical outcomes associated with extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Acinetobacter in US Veterans’ Affairs (VA) medical centers

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Margaret A. Fitzpatrick ◽  
Katie J. Suda ◽  
Linda Poggensee ◽  
Amanda Vivo ◽  
Marissa Wirth ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Acinetobacter Baumannii ◽  
Clinical Outcomes ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
Patient Characteristics ◽  
Veterans Affairs ◽  
Drug Resistant ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Medical Centers ◽  
Extensively Drug Resistant ◽  
Veterans Affairs Medical Centers

Abstract Objective: Although infections caused by Acinetobacter baumannii are often healthcare-acquired, difficult to treat, and associated with high mortality, epidemiologic data for this organism are limited. We describe the epidemiology, clinical characteristics, and outcomes for patients with extensively drug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (XDRAB). Design: Retrospective cohort study Setting: Department of Veterans’ Affairs Medical Centers (VAMCs) Participants: Patients with XDRAB cultures (defined as nonsusceptible to at least 1 agent in all but 2 or fewer classes) at VAMCs between 2012 and 2018. Methods: Microbiology and clinical data was extracted from national VA datasets. We used descriptive statistics to summarize patient characteristics and outcomes and bivariate analyses to compare outcomes by culture source. Results: Among 11,546 patients with 15,364 A. baumannii cultures, 408 (3.5%) patients had 667 (4.3%) XDRAB cultures. Patients with XDRAB were older (mean age, 68 years; SD, 12.2) with median Charlson index 3 (interquartile range, 1–5). Respiratory specimens (n = 244, 36.6%) and urine samples (n = 187, 28%) were the most frequent sources; the greatest proportion of patients were from the South (n = 162, 39.7%). Most patients had had antibiotic exposures (n = 362, 88.7%) and hospital or long-term care admissions (n = 331, 81%) in the prior 90 days. Polymyxins, tigecycline, and minocycline demonstrated the highest susceptibility. Also, 30-day mortality (n = 96, 23.5%) and 1-year mortality (n = 199, 48.8%) were high, with significantly higher mortality in patients with blood cultures. Conclusions: The proportion of Acinetobacter baumannii in the VA that was XDR was low, but treatment options are extremely limited and clinical outcomes were poor. Prevention of healthcare-associated XDRAB infection should remain a priority, and novel antibiotics for XDRAB treatment are urgently needed.

scholarly journals 2012. Trends in Microbiological Culture Collection Across Veterans Affairs Medical Centers and Community Living Centers, 2010 to 2017

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. S675-S675
Author(s):  
Haley Appaneal ◽  
Aisling Caffrey ◽  
Stephanie Hughes ◽  
Vrishali Lopes ◽  
Robin L Jump ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antibiotic Use ◽  
Culture Collection ◽  
Veterans Affairs ◽  
Community Living ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Medical Centers ◽  
Community Living Centers ◽  
Veterans Affairs Medical Centers ◽  
Tract Infections ◽  
Over Time

Abstract Background Microbiological cultures are critical in the diagnosis of infection, identification of pathogenic organisms, and tailoring antibiotic use. However, unnecessary collection of cultures, particularly from the urine, may lead to overuse of antibiotics. There have been no national studies to evaluate trends in the collection of cultures in acute and long-term care settings. Here we describe changes in the collection of cultures nationally across Veterans Affairs medical centers (VAMCs) and Community Living Centers (CLCs). Methods All positive and negative cultures collected from 2010 to 2017 among Veterans admitted to VAMCs or CLCs were included. Cultures were categorized by specimen source (urine, blood, skin and soft tissue, or lung). Joinpoint software was used for regression analyses of trends over time and to estimate annual average percent changes with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results A total of 5,089,640 cultures from 158 VAMCS and 342,850 cultures from 146 CLCs were identified. The number of cultures collected for all culture types in VAMCs and CLCs decreased significantly. The number of cultures collected per admission decreased significantly by 5.5% annually among VAMCs (95% CI −7.0 to −4.0%) and by 8.4% annually among CLCs (95% CI −10.1 to −6.6%). The proportion of positive cultures decreased 1.6% annually among VAMCs (95% CI −2.3 to −0.9%) and remained stable among CLCs (-0.4% annually, 95% CI, −1.1 to 0.4%). The most common culture source among VAMCs was blood (36.2%), followed by urine (31.8%), and among CLCs was urine (56.9%), followed by blood (16.0%). Urine cultures decreased by 4.5% annually among VAMCs (95% CI −5.4 to −3.6%) and 7.0% annually among CLCs (95% CI −7.6 to −6.4%). Conclusion Our study demonstrates a significant reduction in the number of cultures collected over time. Positive cultures decreased significantly in VAMCs, possibly indicating fewer culture-positive infections.In both VAMCs and CLCs, decreases in cultures taken may represent an important reduction in the collection of unnecessary cultures nationally driven by increased awareness about over-testing and over-treatment of presumed infection, particularly urinary tract infections. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.

scholarly journals Inpatient Management of Uncomplicated Skin and Soft Tissue Infections in 34 Veterans Affairs Medical Centers: A Medication Use Evaluation

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesse D Sutton ◽  
Ronald Carico ◽  
Muriel Burk ◽  
Makoto M Jones ◽  
XiangMing Wei ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soft Tissue ◽  
Antimicrobial Stewardship ◽  
Broad Spectrum ◽  
Medication Use ◽  
Antibiotic Use ◽  
Veterans Affairs ◽  
Soft Tissue Infections ◽  
Gram Negative ◽  
Medical Centers ◽  
Veterans Affairs Medical Centers

Abstract Background Skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) are a key antimicrobial stewardship target because they are a common infection in hospitalized patients, and non-guideline-concordant antibiotic use is frequent. To inform antimicrobial stewardship interventions, we evaluated the proportion of veterans hospitalized with SSTIs who received guideline-concordant empiric antibiotics or an appropriate total duration of antibiotics. Methods A retrospective medication use evaluation was performed in 34 Veterans Affairs Medical Centers between 2016 and 2017. Hospitalized patients who received antibiotics for uncomplicated SSTI were included. Exclusion criteria were complicated SSTI, severe immunosuppression, and antibiotics for any non-SSTI indication. Data were collected by manual chart review. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients receiving both guideline-concordant empiric antibiotics and appropriate treatment duration, defined as 5–10 days of antibiotics. Data were analyzed and reported using descriptive statistics. Results Of the 3890 patients manually evaluated for inclusion, 1828 patients met inclusion criteria. There were 1299 nonpurulent (71%) and 529 purulent SSTIs (29%). Overall, 250 patients (14%) received guideline-concordant empiric therapy and an appropriate duration. The most common reason for non-guideline-concordance was receipt of antibiotics targeting methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in 906 patients (70%) with a nonpurulent SSTI. Additionally, 819 patients (45%) received broad-spectrum Gram-negative coverage, and 860 patients (48%) received an antibiotic duration &gt;10 days. Conclusions We identified 3 common opportunities to improve antibiotic use for patients hospitalized with uncomplicated SSTIs: use of anti-MRSA antibiotics in patients with nonpurulent SSTIs, use of broad-spectrum Gram-negative antibiotics, and prolonged durations of therapy.

Association of Hospital Employee Satisfaction with Patient Safety and Satisfaction within Veterans Affairs Medical Centers

2019 ◽  
Vol 132 (4) ◽  
pp. 530-534.e1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ravinder Kang ◽  
Samuel T. Kunkel ◽  
Jesse A. Columbo ◽  
Philip P. Goodney ◽  
Sandra L. Wong
Keyword(s):  
Patient Safety ◽  
Employee Satisfaction ◽  
Veterans Affairs ◽  
Hospital Employee ◽  
Medical Centers ◽  
Veterans Affairs Medical Centers
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