Using antibiograms to improve antibiotic prescribing in skilled nursing facilities.

Background: Antibiograms have effectively improved antibiotic prescribing in acute-care settings; however, their effectiveness in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) is currently unknown.

Objective: To develop SNF-specific antibiograms and identify opportunities to improve antibiotic prescribing.

Design And Setting: Cross-sectional and pretest-posttest study among residents of 3 Maryland SNFs.

Depressive symptoms and hospital readmission in older adults.

Objectives: To quantify the risk of 30-day unplanned hospital readmission in adults aged 65 and older with depressive symptoms.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Setting: University of Maryland Medical Center.

Antimicrobial use for symptom management in patients receiving hospice and palliative care: a systematic review.

Background: Patients receiving hospice or palliative care often receive antimicrobial therapy; however the effectiveness of antimicrobial therapy for symptom management in these patients is unknown.

Objective: The study's objective was to systematically review and summarize existing data on the prevalence and effectiveness of antimicrobial therapy to improve symptom burden among hospice or palliative care patients.

Design: Systematic review of articles on microbial use in hospice and palliative care patients published from January 1, 2001 through June 30, 2011.