Significant MDRO Decreases in Long-term Acute Care (LTAC) Hospital
LTAC hospitals contend with limited staffing and budget, and little to no access to Infectious Disease expertise. Unable to hire ID physician or ID pharmacist specialists, the CEO (50 bed long-term acute care hospital with 10 ventilator beds) found a group that met this need and more. The CEO brought in ARS to implement their customized, interactive AMS program. Through train-the trainer and educational lectures, hospital staff increased their overall knowledge of antimicrobial stewardship, best prescribing practices and reduced MDRO rates across the board. The hospital’s 2 full-time pharmacists now lead AMS efforts.
“The strength is that interaction between the pharmacist, physician and patient. Collaborative review of antibiotics that lead to discussion and confident recommendations.” Chief Executive Officer
Compared to baseline, this LTAC after implementing the ARS program realized significant reductions in multi-drug resistant (MDR) infections year after year and an overall reduction of 62% from baseline.