Page 19 - Christiana Care Focus June July 2018

Tony Bianchetta, M.D., a primary care physician with
The Medical Group and member of the Ambulatory Infection Prevention Committee, speaks with a patient about the importance of prescribing antibiotics appropriately.
Be antibiotic aware
David Cohen, M.D., Infectious Diseases section chief and co-chair of Christiana Care’s Antimicrobial Stewardship Program, has been an innovative leader in education through the use of electronic quizzes and quarterly lectures. This spring there will be increased attention given to primary care physicians, urging them to “Be Antibiotic Aware,” through education programs held in their offices. The idea is to empower clinicians, not hover over them.
“We are saying to providers, including nurses, that stewardship is not something we do to you or for you, but something
we need to do with you,” said Nicole Harrington, Pharm. D., BCPS, a clinical pharmacy specialist in Infectious Diseases and co-chair of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program.
During the past year, Christiana Care has also strengthened its antibiotic stewardship with four other hospital systems
in Delaware through the eBrightHealth Alliance “Choosing Wisely Initiative.” EBrightHealth is an innovative learning partnership that addresses issues vital to the entire state. It includes Bayhealth, Bee- be Healthcare, Nanticoke Health Services and Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children. EBrightHealth also collaborates with organizations such as the Delaware Division of Public Health, Delaware Health Information Network, Delaware Healthcare Facilities Association and Quality Insights, a non-profit that strives to improve the services of Medicare and Medicaid.
For this stewardship effort, eBrightHealth is focused on reducing inappropriate antibiotic treatment of viral upper respiratory infections in the outpatient
| Stewardship setting and discontinuing the use of
empiric antibiotics beyond 72 hours in hospitalized patients with no clear evidence of infection. That’s because with cultures available within 72 hours, clinicians can often narrow the target of what they are treating or stop antiobiotics entirely.
Choosing Wisely
EBrightHealth leaders are also scouting for educational videos, posters and brochures so the state’s health organizations can speak with one voice on antibiotic stew- ardship, said Robert Dressler, M.D., MBA, quality and safety officer, Christiana Care iLEAD, and team leader for the Choosing Wisely Initiative. “Each hospital team is also tailoring its approach to that health system’s resources and needs," he said.
The work on antibiotic stewardship has had strong support from Pharmacy Services and Infectious Diseases. Partners C O N T I N U E D
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