As CMS continues to revise surveyor guidance and infection control deficiencies remain among the top two cited in post-acute care, maintaining solid Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) and Antibiotic Stewardship programs needs to stay a top priority. According to the CDC, antibiotics are still the most frequently prescribed medication in nursing facilities, as 6–10% of residents receive antibiotics on any given day. Of those prescribed, as many as two thirds, may be unnecessary or inappropriate, causing risk of serious gastrointestinal infections such as development of Clostridium Difficile, along with increased adverse drug events, interactions, and serious complications.
As care providers strive to reduce antibiotic resistant infections, provide optimal resident outcomes, and meet regulatory requirements, leveraging live data analysis is more significant than ever. Historically, surveillance, monitoring, and tracking antibiotic usage has been a painstakingly timely and arduous process but has proven to be vital in improving outcomes and reducing unnecessary adverse drug interactions. During this presentation, we will discuss how technology, such as live data analytics, can support surveillance efforts, automate metrics, and identify areas for improvement processes. We will also highlight how, with the use of live data, care providers can see early identification of signs and symptoms of infections, support reporting requirements, and improve efforts for best resident outcomes. Furthermore, we will show how accessing this data with no extra work or additional data entry, can also assist in improving survey preparations and outcomes.
Objectives:
- Understand the CMS IPC and Antibiotic Stewardship requirements, as well as the challenges of antibiotic resistance faced by post-acute providers
- Learn tactics to improve antibiotic use, decrease antibiotic resistance, and avoid unnecessary adverse drug interactions
- Explain how live data analytics can automate IPC efforts and reduce overall antibiotic-resistance cases
Credits: 1 CEU for SNF
Presenter:
Cheryl Scalzo
