Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination Is Associated With Reduced Outpatient Antibiotic Prescribing in Older Adults With Confirmed Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2: A Population-Wide Cohort Study.

Background: Antibiotics are frequently prescribed unnecessarily in outpatients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We sought to evaluate factors associated with antibiotic prescribing in outpatients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection.

Methods: We performed a population-wide cohort study of outpatients aged ≥66 years with polymerase chain reaction-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2021 in Ontario, Canada.

Antimicrobial resistance in patients with COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Frequent use of antibiotics in patients with COVID-19 threatens to exacerbate antimicrobial resistance. We aimed to establish the prevalence and predictors of bacterial infections and antimicrobial resistance in patients with COVID-19.

Methods: We did a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies of bacterial co-infections (identified within ≤48 h of presentation) and secondary infections (>48 h after presentation) in outpatients or hospitalised patients with COVID-19.

Antibiotic resistance associated with the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: COVID-19 and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are two intersecting global public health crises.

Objective: We aimed to describe the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on AMR across health care settings.

Data Source: A search was conducted in December 2021 in WHO COVID-19 Research Database with forward citation searching up to June 2022.

Pharmacokinetic/Pharmacodynamic Considerations of Alternate Dosing Strategies of Tocilizumab in COVID-19.

Tocilizumab is one of few treatments that have been shown to improve mortality in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but increased demand has led to relative global shortages. Recently, it has been suggested that lower doses, or fixed doses, of tocilizumab could be a potential solution to conserve the limited global supply while conferring equivalent therapeutic benefit to the dosing regimens studied in major trials. The relationship between tocilizumab dose, exposure, and response in COVID-19 has not been adequately characterized.

Predictors and microbiology of respiratory and bloodstream bacterial infection in patients with COVID-19: living rapid review update and meta-regression.

Background: The prevalence of bacterial infection in patients with COVID-19 is low, however, empiric antibiotic use is high. Risk stratification may be needed to minimize unnecessary empiric antibiotic use.

Objective: To identify risk factors and microbiology associated with respiratory and bloodstream bacterial infection in patients with COVID-19.

Using a behavioural framework to optimize antibiotic prescribing by family medicine residents.

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. Overprescribing of antibiotics in primary care is a prominent concern in the context of increasing antimicrobial resistance worldwide.

Assessment of Nutritional Status of Mothers of Children Under 3 Years of Age and Its Determinants.

Objective: The study was conducted to identify associated factors of severe wasting among mothers.

Methodology: A prospective 12 months' study was conducted in 30 randomly selected villages of Khutpani Block of West Singhbhum with a sample of 600 households with children between 0 and 3 years of age using the prevalence of wasting in West Singhbhum district National Family Health Survey, precision of 0.05, design effect of 2 and accounting for error of 10%.

Antibiotic prescribing in patients with COVID-19: rapid review and meta-analysis.

Background: The proportion of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 that are prescribed antibiotics is uncertain, and may contribute to patient harm and global antibiotic resistance.

Objective: The aim was to estimate the prevalence and associated factors of antibiotic prescribing in patients with COVID-19.

Data Sources: We searched MEDLINE, OVID Epub and EMBASE for published literature on human subjects in English up to June 9 2020.

Bacterial co-infection and secondary infection in patients with COVID-19: a living rapid review and meta-analysis.

Background: Bacterial co-pathogens are commonly identified in viral respiratory infections and are important causes of morbidity and mortality. The prevalence of bacterial infection in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 is not well understood.

Aims: To determine the prevalence of bacterial co-infection (at presentation) and secondary infection (after presentation) in patients with COVID-19.

Nurse Prompting for Prescriber-Led Review of Antimicrobial Use in the Critical Care Unit.

Background: Developing a sustainable strategy for prescriber-led review of antimicrobial use in a critical care unit may improve antimicrobial use without the need for additional resources.

Methods: Using a quality improvement framework, the researchers created a prompt for prescriber-led review of antimicrobial use. The outcome measure was antimicrobial use (days of therapy per 1000 patient days).

Implementation of a Clinical Decision Support Tool to Improve Antibiotic IV-to-Oral Conversion Rates at a Community Academic Hospital.

Background: Antibiotic IV-to-oral (IV-PO) conversion is a key initiative of antimicrobial stewardship programs. Guidelines and education are commonly described interventions to promote IV-PO conversion; however, technological interventions may be more effective in changing practice.

Objective: To determine the impact of a clinical decision support (CDS) tool on the adoption and sustainability of an antibiotic IV-PO conversion program at a community academic hospital.

Potential Negative Effects of Antimicrobial Allergy Labelling on Patient Care: A Systematic Review.

Background: Antimicrobial allergy labels, either self-reported or placed in a patient's medical record, are common, but in many cases they are not associated with a true immunoglobulin E-mediated allergic response.

Objective: To assess the impact of antimicrobial allergy labels on antimicrobial prescribing, resource utilization, and clinical outcomes.

Data Sources: The MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, and Scopus electronic databases were searched for the period 1990 to January 2016.

Point-of-Care β-Lactam Allergy Skin Testing by Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs: A Pragmatic Multicenter Prospective Evaluation.

Background: β-lactam allergy skin testing (BLAST) is recommended by antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) guidelines, yet few studies have systematically evaluated its impact when delivered at point of care.

Methods: We conducted a pragmatic multicenter prospective evaluation of the use of point-of-care BLAST by ASPs. In staggered 3-month intervals, ASP teams at 3 hospitals received training by allergists to offer BLAST for eligible patients with infectious diseases receiving nonpreferred therapy due to severity of their reported allergy.

Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia in immunosuppressed patients: a multicenter, retrospective cohort study.

Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (SAB) causes significant morbidity and mortality. We assessed the disease severity and clinical outcomes of SAB in patients with pre-existing immunosuppression, compared with immunocompetent patients. A retrospective cohort investigation studied consecutive patients with SAB hospitalized across six hospitals in Toronto, Canada from 2007 to 2010.

Usefulness of previous methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus screening results in guiding empirical therapy for S aureus bacteremia.

Background: Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (SAB) is an important infection. Methicillin-resistant S aureus (MRSA) screening is performed on hospitalized patients for infection control purposes.

Objective: To assess the usefulness of past MRSA screening for guiding empirical antibiotic therapy for SAB.

Use of Transthoracic Echocardiography in the Management of Low-Risk Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia: Results From a Retrospective Multicenter Cohort Study.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to develop a prediction model to identify patients with low-risk Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (SAB), in whom infective endocarditis (IE) can be ruled out based on transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE).

Background: S. aureus is a major cause of bacteremia and often leads to IE.

Impact of Infectious Disease Consultation on Quality of Care, Mortality, and Length of Stay in Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia: Results From a Large Multicenter Cohort Study.

Background: We assessed the impact of infectious disease (ID) consultation on management and outcome in patients with Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (SAB).

Methods: A retrospective cohort study examined consecutive SAB patients from 6 academic and community hospitals between 2007 and 2010. Quality measures of management including echocardiography, repeat blood culture, removal of infectious foci, and antibiotic therapy were compared between ID consultation (IDC) and no ID consultation (NIDC) groups.

Comparative effectiveness of cefazolin versus cloxacillin as definitive antibiotic therapy for MSSA bacteraemia: results from a large multicentre cohort study.

Objectives: We compared the effectiveness of cefazolin versus cloxacillin in the treatment of MSSA bacteraemia in terms of mortality and relapse.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study examined consecutive patients with Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia from six academic and community hospitals between 2007 and 2010. Patients with MSSA bacteraemia who received cefazolin or cloxacillin as the predominant definitive antibiotic therapy were included in the study.

Examining the safety and efficacy of a chemotherapy dosing method in Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplant patients of extreme body size.

Background: There is no consensus on a universal dosing method for calculating high-dose chemotherapy in allogeneic Stem Cell Transplant (SCT) patients. The Metropolitan Life (Met-Life) Insurance Company's weight-height tables have been used to determine body weight for chemotherapy dosing for SCT, however no formal study has been done to determine if the Met-Life weight- height tables can be used for chemotherapy dosing in SCT. We retrospectively studied the use of Met-Life weight-height tables for chemotherapy dosing in SCT.

Documenting drug-related problems with personal digital assistants in a multisite health system.

Purpose: A scalable, multiuser, personal digital assistant (PDA)-based documentation tool for pharmacist collection of data on drug-related problems (DRPs) is described.

Summary: A PDA-based tool for documenting DRPs and pharmacist interventions was developed with database software. Data fields were based on the pharmaceutical care model.