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New recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advise all nursing homes to improve antibiotic prescribing practices and reduce their inappropriate use to protect residents from the consequences of antibiotic-resistant infections, such as C. difficile.
To guide these improvements, CDC has released a new resource: Core Elements of Antibiotic Stewardship for Nursing Homes. The Core Elements for Nursing Homes expand upon CDC's recommendation last year that all acute care hospitals implement an antibiotic stewardship program designed to optimize treatment of infections while reducing adverse events associated with antibiotic use.
Ultimately, nursing home antibiotic stewardship activities should, at a minimum, include the following:
- Leadership commitment: Demonstrate support and commitment to safe and appropriate antibiotic use.
- Accountability: Identify leaders who are responsible for promoting and overseeing antibiotic stewardship activities at the nursing home.
- Drug expertise: Establish access to experts with experience or training in improving antibiotic use.
- Action: Take at least one new action to improve the way antibiotics are used in the facility.
- Tracking: Measure how antibiotics are used and the complications (e.g., C. difficile infections) from antibiotics in the facility.
- Reporting: Share information with healthcare providers and staff about how antibiotics are used in the facility.
- Education: Provide resources to healthcare providers, nursing staff, residents and families to learn about antibiotic resistance and opportunities for improving antibiotic use.
"We encourage nursing homes to work in a step-wise manner implementing one or two activities at first, then gradually adding new strategies from each core element over time,"