Publications by authors named "K Pouwels"
Introduction: Healthcare-associated infections result in worse outcomes for patients and greater financial burden. An estimated 4.8 million HCAIs occurred in hospitals across Europe in 2022-23.
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- Antibiotic-resistant bloodstream infections (ARB BSI) pose significant health risks to hospitalized patients in Chile, leading to higher mortality rates, longer hospital stays, and increased ICU admissions in comparison to infections caused by non-resistant bacteria.
- In a study involving 1,218 patients, nearly half of the bloodstream infection episodes (47.3%) were attributed to ARB, with specific pathogens like Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) being prominent.
- The financial burden of ARB BSI is substantial, with estimated excess costs per patient at around $12,600 and an annual impact of approximately $9.6 million, highlighting the
To reduce antimicrobial resistance (AMR), pathogen-specific AMR burden data are crucial to guide target selection for research and development of vaccines and monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). We identified knowledge gaps through previously conducted systematic reviews, which informed a Delphi expert consultation on future AMR research priorities and harmonisation strategies to support data-driven decision-making. Consensus (≥80% agreement) on importance and feasibility of research topics was achieved in two rounds, involving 24 of 39 and 19 of 24 invited experts, respectively.
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- The study aims to predict antimicrobial resistance (AMR) at the hospital level in England using machine learning techniques, specifically focusing on historical data of AMR and antimicrobial usage over multiple years.
- The research employs an Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) model and compares its predictive capability against other methods, finding XGBoost to offer the best performance, particularly in hospitals experiencing significant changes in AMR prevalence.
- The results highlight that year-to-year AMR variability is generally low, but specific hospital groups with larger fluctuations can benefit from advanced predictive modeling, aiding in targeted interventions for AMR management.
Stop antibiotics when you feel better? Opportunities, challenges and research directions.
JAC Antimicrob Resist
October 2024
Shortening standard antibiotic courses and stopping antibiotics when patients feel better are two ways to reduce exposure to antibiotics in the community, and decrease the risks of antimicrobial resistance and antibiotic side effects. While evidence shows that shorter antibiotic treatments are non-inferior to longer ones for infections that benefit from antibiotics, shorter courses still represent average treatment durations that might be suboptimal for some. In contrast, stopping antibiotics based on improvement or resolution of symptoms might help personalize antibiotic treatment to individual patients and help reduce unnecessary exposure.
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