Our weekly wrap-up of antimicrobial stewardship & antimicrobial resistance scans
Data show low antibiotic prescribing, UTI misdiagnosis on mental health units
Originally published by CIDRAP News Oct 21
A review of antibiotic prescribing at Veterans' Health Administration (VHA) mental health units found that only 1 in 10 patients were exposed to antibiotics, but urinary tract infections (UTIs) appeared to be frequently misdiagnosed, researchers reported today in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology.
In the study, researchers from the Iowa City VA Health Care System looked at data on inpatient and post-discharge antibiotics at 111 VHA mental health units from 2016 through 2018. They also conducted chart reviews for a subset of patients to assess adherence to standard recommended practices and professional guidelines for UTIs, cystitis, skin and other soft-tissue infections (SSTIs), and acute respiratory infections (ARIs).
During the study period, 27,401 (10.9%) of 252,588 admitted patients had an antibiotic administered while hospitalized on the mental health unit. The median inpatient antibiotics days of therapy across all 111 units was 73.5 per 1,000 days present. The infections most commonly associated with an antibiotic prescription were UTIs (18.3%), SSTIs (10.9%), and ARIs (7.1%).
Chart review found that, among 111 UTI cases, 63 (56.8%) were not supported by patient history or laboratory findings, and in 24.3% of UTI cases, the presence of altered mental status appeared to be the driver of antibiotic therapy, even though antibiotics are not recommended for bacteriuria in the context of cognitive impairment alone.
"Overall, these findings suggest that UTI is commonly misdiagnosed and therefore represent an optimal target for stewardship efforts," the study authors wrote.
The study also found that 25.3% of the antibiotic recommendations were made by emergency department physicians, and 27.8% by internal medicine physicians, a finding the authors say suggests that these specialties should be included in any efforts to improve antibiotic prescribing at VHA mental health units.
Oct 21 Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol abstract
WHO urges greater linkages between AMR, sustainable development
Originally published by CIDRAP News Oct 20
The World Health Organization yesterday released guidance on how the United Nations (UN) can incorporate antimicrobial resistance (AMR) into its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The document, which was developed by the WHO in collaboration with the World Organisation for Animal Health, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, and the UN Environment Programme, lays out the case for why AMR and sustainable development are interconnected. It notes that progress in many of the SDGS, such as improved access to clean water and sanitation, sustainable food production, and appropriate use of antimicrobials in humans and animals, will help address AMR. At the same time, rising levels of AMR threaten the ability to achieve the SDGs for health, poverty reduction, food security, and economic growth.
To help stimulate action on AMR and help support the implementation of the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the document calls on the UN to include AMR as a risk in the Common Country Analysis (CCA), in which countries collect national-level data on development issues, and the Cooperation Framework, which requires countries to identify areas with the greatest potential for transformative and inclusive development.
"Integration of AMR into CCAs and then into the Cooperation Framework should be a priority, given the risk AMR poses to sustainable development in countries, and the capacity of the UN and other organizations to support collaborative and impactful actions to address the issue," the document states. "AMR should be meaningfully linked to broader development issues such as One Health, pandemic preparedness and response, UHC [universal healthcare], sustainable food systems and environmental issues."
The document proposes that concrete AMR outputs for improved data collection, coordination, regulation, and prevention be included in the Cooperation Framework.
Oct 19 WHO guidance
Resistant ICU infections linked to longer hospital stays, excess costs
Originally published by CIDRAP News Oct 18
Antibiotic-resistant infections acquired in the intensive care unit (ICU) were associated with significant increases in excess hospital days and healthcare costs in three southern European countries, according to a study published today in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology.
Using data from the European Surveillance System, researchers studied a cohort of adult patients who developed ICU-acquired infections related to an invasive procedure at hospitals in Spain, Portugal, and Italy from 2008 through 2016. They used regression, matching, and time-to-event methods to analyze the association between antibiotic-resistant infections and excessive length of stay (LOS), controlling for several confounding factors and time-dependent biases. They also calculated the associated economic burden of excess resource utilization for each country.
In total, 13,441 patients were included in the analysis. Of these patients, 4,106 (30.5%) were infected with antibiotic-resistant organisms and matched 1:1 to patients with susceptible infections. The median age of all patients was 62 years. In the fully adjusted estimates, the association between resistance status and excess LOS was 2.76 days in the linear model (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.98 to 3.54), 2.60 days in the matched model (95% CI, 1.66 to 3.55), and the hazard ratio was 1.15 in the Cox regression model (95% CI, 1.1 to 1.19).
These estimates, alongside the prevalence of resistance, translated into direct hospitalization attributable costs per ICU-acquired infection of 5,224€ (US $6,066) for Spain, 4,461€ (US $5,180) for Portugal, and 4,320€ (US $5,016) for Italy.
"These results contribute significantly to the antimicrobial resistance literature that explores the consequences of resistance on health and economic outcomes," the study authors write.
Oct 18 Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol abstract
Elbow bumps may transfer MRSA just as much as fist bumps
Originally published by CIDRAP News Oct 18
In another study today in the same journal, researchers from the Cleveland VA Medical Center reported that both a fist bump and an elbow bump are associated with frequent transfer of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
Elbow bumps have been increasingly used as greetings over fist bumps and handshakes with the idea that they lessen the potential for pathogenic microorganism transfer. To test this hypothesis, the researchers enrolled 40 patients in isolation for MRSA colonization and paired them with a research staff member wearing sterile gloves and a piece of cotton cloth over their elbows. Each MRSA-colonized patient performed one greeting with a staff member using their right fist or elbow, and one greeting using their left fist or elbow, with the order of the greetings alternating among consecutive participants. The researchers then analyzed the fists and elbows of the MRSA-colonized patients, along with the gloves and elbow cloth from the staff members, for the presence of MRSA.
The results showed no significant difference in the frequency of MRSA transfer for the fist bump compared with the elbow bump (10 of 40 [25%] vs 6 of 40 [15%]). Even so, MRSA was recovered more frequently from the fist versus the elbow of the MRSA-colonized patients (16 of 40 [40%] vs 9 of 40 [22.5%]). Also, significantly more MRSA colonies were recovered from fists compared with elbows, and more MRSA colonies were transferred via fists.
The study authors note that the findings of the study suggest that noncontact greetings should be encouraged instead. "In addition to promoting noncontact greetings, there is a need to improve patient hand hygiene and to identify other strategies to reduce transfer of pathogens by hands and clothing," they write.
Oct 18 Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol abstract