Antibiotics

Melissa B. Miller, PhD and Robin Patel, MD sat down with Contagion® to discuss how they believe that molecular-based point of care laboratory testing will revolutionize healthcare.

Is it time to reassess prescribing practices on beta-lactams when it comes to patients with penicillin allergies? The answer is an unquestionable, “Yes!” according to Meghan Jeffres, PharmD.

Meghan Jeffres, PharmD, explains why practitioners need to think about the rate of cross-reactivity between antibiotic penicillin and specific cephalosporins.

Jerod Nagel, PharmD, highlights how rapid diagnostic tools can be utilized in antibiotic stewardship programs to improve outcomes for patients with S. aureus.

Conan MacDougall, PharmD, discusses how behavioral change interventions can positively impact the antibiotic prescribing environment.

Khalid Eljaaly, PharmD, MS, CAPPS, BCPS, explains his team’s findings on the link between carbapenems and superinfections & Clostridium difficile.

Lauri A. Hicks, DO, discusses keys to reducing antibiotic resistance.

Research presented at the 2017 American Thoracic Society International Conference reports that treatment with antibiotics failed in 1 in 4 adult patients who present with community-acquired pneumonia in the outpatient setting.

Nicola Thompson, PhD, explains how her research can lead to initiatives that aim to result in a decline in the burden of infections in nursing homes.

Gonzalo Bearman, MD, MPH, professor of medicine, and hospital epidemiologist, Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Virginia Commonwealth University, explains how controlling antibiotic use can impact Clostridium difficile rates.

Lauri A. Hicks, DO, Director, Office of Antibiotic Stewardship, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, discusses the importance of preserving the effectiveness of antibiotics.

Researchers at Houston Methodist Hospital have identified that a surprising percentage of Klebsiella pneumoniae infections at their facility are caused by uncommon strains of the pathogen.

In case you missed them, here are our top 5 articles for the week of May 7, 2017.

Belinda Ostrowsky, MD, MPH, Health Systems Director of Epidemiology, Antimicrobial Stewardship & Infection Prevention, Montefiore Medical Center, and Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, explains how empiric treatment can lead to antibiotic overuse.

Lauri A. Hicks, DO, Director, Office of Antibiotic Stewardship, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, discusses new resources dentists can use for prescribing antibiotics prophylactically.

What can healthcare providers do to stop these infections before they start?

Lauri A. Hicks, DO, Director, Office of Antibiotic Stewardship, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, discusses what we still don’t know about antibiotics.

Contagion® Editorial Advisory Board member, Khalid Eljaaly, PharmD, BCPS, CAPP, discusses key updates in the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the American Thoracic Society recommendations.

There has been an increase in STDs seen in US emergency departments, a setting that proves to be less than optimal for providing STD care.

Today, May 5th, is Hand Hygiene Day, a day that reminds healthcare workers, visitors, and policy makers alike, that frequent handwashing can be used to fight the growing threat of antibiotic resistance, and ultimately, save millions of lives.

Lauri A. Hicks, DO, Director, Office of Antibiotic Stewardship, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, explains the importance of identifying gaps in antibiotic stewardship.

Lauri A. Hicks, Director, Office of Antibiotic Stewardship, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, discusses how more data is needed to provide dentists with better guidelines for prescribing antibiotics.

Emily Heil, PharmD, BCPS-AQ ID, assistant professor at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, explains why stewards should think outside of the box when coming up with interventions to include in an antimicrobial stewardship program.

Lauri A. Hicks, DO, Director, Office of Antibiotic Stewardship, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, discusses the potential consequences of prescribing unneeded antibiotics.

Emily Heil, PharmD, BCPS-AQ ID, assistant professor at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, shares an effective stewardship intervention for ruling out if someone is allergic to penicillin.