An educational intervention to promote appropriate antibiotic use for acute respiratory infections in a district in Egypt- pilot study.

Background: Antibiotic overuse is the most important modifiable factor contributing to antibiotic resistance. We conducted an educational campaign in Minya, Egypt targeting prescribers and the public through communications focused on appropriate antibiotic use for acute respiratory infections (ARIs).

Methods: The entire population of Minya was targeted by the campaign.

First-Line Antibiotic Selection in Outpatient Settings.

Using the 2014 IBM MarketScan commercial database, we compared antibiotic selection for pharyngitis, sinusitis, and acute otitis media in retail clinics, emergency departments, urgent care centers, and offices. Only 50% of visits for these conditions received recommended first-line antibiotics. Improving antibiotic selection for common outpatient conditions is an important stewardship target.

Implementation of the Core Elements of Antibiotic Stewardship in Nursing Homes Enrolled in the National Healthcare Safety Network.

In 2016, 42% of nursing homes enrolled in the National Healthcare Safety Network reported meeting all 7 of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Core Elements of Antibiotic Stewardship. Bivariate analyses suggested that implementation of all core elements differed by ownership type and amount of infection prevention staff hours.

Close Patient Follow-up Among Patients Receiving Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy.

Background: Outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) programs allow patients to receive intravenous treatment in the outpatient setting. We developed a predictive model of 30-day readmission among hospitalized patients discharged on OPAT from 2 academic medical centers with a dedicated OPAT clinic for management.

Methods: A retrospective medical records review was performed and logistic regression was used to assess OPAT and other outpatient clinic follow-up in conjunction with age, sex, pathogen, diagnosis, discharge medication, planned length of therapy, and Charlson comorbidity score.

Comparison of Antibiotic Prescribing in Retail Clinics, Urgent Care Centers, Emergency Departments, and Traditional Ambulatory Care Settings in the United States.

This cohort study compares antibiotic prescribing in 2014 among retail clinics, urgent care centers, emergency departments, and traditional medical offices in the United States.

The National Healthcare Safety Network Long-term Care Facility Component early reporting experience: January 2013-December 2015.

Background: In 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launched the Long-term Care Facility (LTCF) Component of the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) designed for LTCFs to monitor Clostridium difficile infections (CDIs), urinary tract infections (UTIs), infections due to multidrug-resistant organisms, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and infection prevention process measures.

Methods: We describe characteristics and reporting patterns of facilities enrolled in the first 3 years of the surveillance system and rate estimates for CDI, UTI, and MRSA data submitted between 2013 and 2015.

Results: From 2013-2015, 279 LTCFs were enrolled and eligible to report to the NHSN with variability in reporting from year to year.