Implementing an Antibiotic Stewardship Program: Guidelines by the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.

Evidence-based guidelines for implementation and measurement of antibiotic stewardship interventions in inpatient populations including long-term care were prepared by a multidisciplinary expert panel of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. The panel included clinicians and investigators representing internal medicine, emergency medicine, microbiology, critical care, surgery, epidemiology, pharmacy, and adult and pediatric infectious diseases specialties. These recommendations address the best approaches for antibiotic stewardship programs to influence the optimal use of antibiotics.

Executive Summary: Implementing an Antibiotic Stewardship Program: Guidelines by the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.

Evidence-based guidelines for implementation and measurement of antibiotic stewardship interventions in inpatient populations including long-term care were prepared by a multidisciplinary expert panel of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. The panel included clinicians and investigators representing internal medicine, emergency medicine, microbiology, critical care, surgery, epidemiology, pharmacy, and adult and pediatric infectious diseases specialties. These recommendations address the best approaches for antibiotic stewardship programs to influence the optimal use of antibiotics.

Aerosolized antibiotics: do they add to the treatment of pneumonia?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The increasing rate of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) caused by multidrug-resistant pathogens warrants the development of new treatment strategies. Carefully engineered delivery systems are undergoing evaluation to test the hypothesis that aerosolized administration of antibiotics will provide high local concentrations and fast clearance, which in turn may improve efficacy and decrease the risk of microbial resistance. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent studies indicate that aerosolized delivery systems for specially formulated antibiotics yield high local concentrations with rapid clearance and low systemic exposure. Preliminary clinical studies reveal that aerosolized delivery of antibiotics is well tolerated and active, when combined with intravenous antibiotics. No single aerosolized antibiotic is likely to provide broad-spectrum activity against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. SUMMARY: Large multicenter trials are needed to determine whether preliminary findings will translate to improved clinical activity and decreased microbial resistance in VAP patients, and to optimize the use of aerosolized antibiotics.

Time to finger point or fix? An invitation to join ongoing efforts to promote ethical authorship and other good publication practices.

In this commentary, we present evidence that unethical authorship (eg, guest and ghost authoring) and other publication practices are not restricted to the pharmaceutical industry; they also occur in academia. Such practices are not an industry problem--they are a research problem. To enhance trust in industry-sponsored research, companies have made rapid and far-reaching changes to their publication guidelines, policies, and procedures. Professional medical writers have adopted, and continue to implement, these changes. Although evidence indicates that industry practices are improving, there is certainly more to do, both in industry and academia. We invite readers to join ongoing efforts to promote ethical publication practices.

Preoperative screening/decolonization for Staphylococcus aureus to prevent orthopedic surgical site infection: prospective cohort study with 2-year follow-up.

We quantified surgical site infections (SSIs) after preoperative screening/selective decolonization before elective total joint arthroplasty (TJA) with 2-year follow-up and 2 controls. Concurrent controls (n = 2284) were patients of surgeons not participating in screening/decolonization. Preintervention controls (n = 741) were patients of participating surgeons who underwent TJA the previous year. Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriers (321/1285 [25%]) used intranasal mupirocin and chlorhexidine baths as outpatients. Staphylococcal SSIs occurred in no intervention patients (0/321) and 19 concurrent controls. If all SSIs occurred in carriers and 25% of controls were carriers, staphylococcal SSI rate would have been 3.3% in controls (19/571; P = .001). Overall SSI rate decreased from 2.7% (20/741) in preintervention controls to 1.2% (17/1440) in intervention patients (P = .009). Preoperative screening/selective decolonization was associated with fewer SSIs after elective TJA.

Value of Nutrition Support Therapy: Impact on Clinical and Economic Outcomes in the United States.

OBJECTIVE: Healthcare leaders seek guidance on prudent investment in programs that improve patient outcomes and reduce costs, which includes the value of nutrition therapy. The purpose of this project was to conduct an evidence review and evaluate claims analyses to understand the financial and quality impact of nutrition support therapy on high-priority therapeutic conditions. METHODS: Task 1 included a review of existing literature from 2013 to 2018 to identify evidence that demonstrated the clinical and economic impact of nutrition intervention on patient outcomes across 13 therapeutic areas (TAs). In Task 2, analytic claims modeling was performed using the Medicare Parts A and B claims 5% sample dataset. Beneficiaries diagnosed in 5 selected TAs (sepsis, gastrointestinal [GI] cancer, hospital-acquired infections, surgical complications, and pancreatitis) were identified in the studies from Task 1, and their care costs were modeled based on nutrition intervention. RESULTS: Beginning with 1099 identified articles, 43 articles met the criteria, with a final 8 articles used for the Medicare claims modeling. As examples of the modeling demonstrated, the use of advanced enteral nutrition formula could save at least $52 million annually in a sepsis population. The total projected annual cost savings from the 5 TAs was $580 million. CONCLUSION: Overall, optimization of nutrition support therapy for specific patient populations is estimated to reduce Medicare spending by millions of dollars per year across key TAs. These findings demonstrate the evidence-based value proposition of timely nutrition support to improve clinical outcomes and yield substantial cost savings.

What should be done to tackle ghostwriting in the medical literature?

BACKGROUND TO THE DEBATE: Ghostwriting occurs when someone makes substantial contributions to a manuscript without attribution or disclosure. It is considered bad publication practice in the medical sciences, and some argue it is scientific misconduct. At its extreme, medical ghostwriting involves pharmaceutical companies hiring professional writers to produce papers promoting their products but hiding those contributions and instead naming academic physicians or scientists as the authors. To improve transparency, many editors' associations and journals allow professional medical writers to contribute to the writing of papers without being listed as authors provided their role is acknowledged. This debate examines how best to tackle ghostwriting in the medical literature from the perspectives of a researcher, an editor, and the professional medical writer.

Efficacy and safety of linezolid for Gram-positive orthopedic infections: a prospective case series.

Linezolid is an attractive alternative for orthopedic infections because of oral bioavailability and activity against methicillin-resistant staphylococci and vancomycin-resistant enterococci. To determine efficacy and safety, we prospectively monitored 51 consecutive adults who were not vancomycin candidates and who received linezolid for 53 Gram-positive orthopedic infections, usually chronic osteomyelitis (n = 25) or prosthetic joint infection (n = 23). Pathogens were usually Staphylococcus aureus (n = 27) or coagulase-negative staphylococci (n = 19); 38 were methicillin resistant. After remission, 17 infections required long-term suppression, usually because of retained hardware. Clinical and microbiologic failure occurred in only one patient. The most common adverse events were thrombocytopenia (n = 5) and anemia (n = 5), necessitating treatment discontinuation in 3 patients. One patient developed reversible optic and irreversible peripheral neuropathy after 24 months of linezolid. Linezolid, with surgery, may be a reasonable alternative for Gram-positive orthopedic infections. We recommend weekly hematologic monitoring, and, if therapy lasts >2 months, periodic ophthalmologic monitoring.

Treating Dehydration at Home Avoids Healthcare Costs Associated With Emergency Department Visits and Hospital Readmissions for Adult Patients Receiving Home Parenteral Support.

BACKGROUND: Administration of home parenteral support (HPS) has proven to be cost-effective over hospital care. Avoiding hospital readmissions became more of a focus for healthcare institutions in 2012 with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. In 2010, our service developed a protocol to treat dehydration at home for HPS patients by ordering additional intravenous fluids to be kept on hand and to focus patient education on the symptoms of dehydration. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was completed through a clinical management database to identify HPS patients with dehydration. The hospital finance department and homecare pharmacy were utilized to determine potential cost avoidance. RESULTS: In 2009, 64 episodes (77%) of dehydration were successfully treated at home versus 6 emergency department (ED) visits (7.5%) and 13 readmissions (15.5%). In 2010, we successfully treated 170 episodes (84.5%) at home, with 9 episodes (4.5%) requiring ED visits and 22 hospital readmissions (11%). The number of dehydration episodes per patient was significantly higher in 2010 ( P < .001) and may be attributed to a shift in the patient population, with more patients having malabsorption as the indication for therapy in 2010 ( P = .003). CONCLUSION: There were more than twice as many episodes of dehydration identified and treated at home in 2010 versus 2009. Our protocol helped educate and provide the resources required to resolve dehydration at home when early signs were recognized. By reducing ED visits and hospital readmissions, healthcare costs were avoided by a factor of 29 when home treatment was successful.

Examination of factors that lead to complications for new home parenteral nutrition patients.

Home parenteral nutrition carries a risk of infectious, metabolic, and mechanical complications that cause significant morbidity and mortality. This study investigated the incidence and the causative factors of these complications that occur within the first 90 days after discharge from the hospital to home. Data were prospectively collected and analyzed for 97 adult patients. A complication developed in one third of the patients, and the majority required rehospitalization. Infectious complications were the most prevalent, followed by mechanical and then metabolic complications. The authors describe their methods of collecting data in a quantifiable manner with the ultimate goal of improving patient outcomes.

Mythbusting Medical Writing: Goodbye, Ghosts! Hello, Help!

To meet ethical and scientific obligations, authors should submit timely, high-quality manuscripts. Authors, however, can encounter ethical (e.g., authorship designation) and practical (e.g., time and resource limitations) challenges during manuscript preparation. Could professional medical writers-not ghostwriters-help authors address these challenges? This essay summarizes evidence countering three myths that may have hindered authors from considering the use of professional medical writers. Authors with sufficient time, writing expertise, and reporting guideline knowledge may meet their obligations without writing assistance. Unfortunately, not all authors are in this position. Decisions about writing support should be based on evidence, not myths.

Voiceover Interactive PowerPoint Catheter Care Education for Home Parenteral Nutrition.

BACKGROUND: In home infusions via tunneled catheter/peripherally inserted central catheter (TC/PICC) the risk of catheter-related bloodstream infection (CRBSI) and complications contribute to rehospitalization and costs. It is unknown if voiceover interactive PowerPoint (VOIPP) via digital video disc education improves clinical outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a quaternary care medical center and using a randomized, controlled, 2-group design, hospitalized patients with TC/PICC received usual care education or usual care (UC) plus VOIPP education prehospital discharge. A multiple-choice 6-item knowledge questionnaire was administered preeducation, immediately posteducation, and 7-10 days postdischarge. At 90 days, patients were assessed for CRBSI incidence rates per 1000 catheter-days, rehospitalization, CRBSI-related hospitalization, non-CRBSI complications and patient calls to the home parenteral nutrition (HPN) clinicians. Analysis of variance, Pearson χ(2), and Kruskal-Wallis test were used to compare results between groups. RESULTS: Of 51 patients (UC, n = 27; UC+VOIPP, n = 24), mean ± SD age was 46.3 ± 14.3 years, 68.6% were female, HPN duration was 2.2 ± 1.01 months, and time to postdischarge test completion was 11.5 ± 5.2 days. There were no baseline differences between groups. Between-group knowledge and changes in knowledge were similar at preeducation, immediate posteducation, and postdischarge (P = .88, 0.30, and 0.37, respectively). There were no differences in CRBSI incidence, rehospitalization, CRBSI-related rehospitalization rates, and non-CRBSI complications between groups. The UC+VOIPP group had more patient calls than did the UC group (21.8 vs 7.7 calls/1000 catheter-days, P < .001). CONCLUSION: Recorded education led to more patient calls to the HPN clinicians; however, there were no differences between groups in other outcomes.

Analysis of reverse transcriptase and protease genes of HIV for antiretroviral drug resistance in treatment-exposed Jamaican pediatrics.

This study reports on the drug resistance profiles for HIV-infected pediatrics in Jamaica who have been exposed to antiretroviral therapy (ART). The genetic diversity of HIV-1 found in these patients was also determined using phylogenetic analysis. The protease-reverse transcriptase (Pro-RT) region of the genome was amplified from 40 samples, sequenced, and analyzed for the identification of antiretroviral resistance-associated mutations (RAMs). All isolates belonged to subtype B and 39 possessed multiple RAMs in the reverse transcriptase genes that would compromise the efficacy of drugs being used to treat these patients. Four isolates possessed RAMs in the protease genes. The overall frequency of HIV drug resistance was 95%. The high frequency of drug resistance is supported by epidemiological data that revealed an equally high frequency of treatment failure (98%) among the study participants. The results of this study indicate the urgent need for greater access to drug resistance testing in Jamaica.

The association between home parenteral nutrition and patients with FAP-associated intra-abdominal desmoids: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Intra-abdominal desmoid tumors (IADTs) are a common complication of familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). Treatment is not standardized for advanced disease. Medical and surgical treatments may be ineffective in preventing complications, which can cause intestinal failure. Home parenteral nutrition (HPN) can be a life-saving treatment in these patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the association with HPN in FAP-IADTs. METHODS: A retrospective review of FAP patients with IADTs at the Cleveland Clinic (CC) between 1980 and 2009 was performed. Patients and tumor characteristics were retrieved from the CC Jagelman Registry for Inherited Neoplasms and CC HPN database. Inclusion criteria were FAP-IADTs and 6-month follow up at CC. Exclusion criteria were <6-month follow-up, lack of 3-dimensional lesion or sheet desmoid, and/or incomplete medical records. Kaplan-Meier curves were analyzed for HPN and non-HPN groups. RESULTS: One hundred fifty-four patients were included and divided into 2 groups: HPN (n = 41, 26.6%) and non-HPN (n = 113, 73.4%). The HPN group was more likely to have advanced-stage disease and significantly higher incidence of chronic abdominal pain, narcotic dependency, bowel obstruction, ureteral obstruction, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, fistulae, and sepsis (P < .05). The need for HPN represented a strong predictor of mortality (5-year survival HPN = 72% vs non-HPN = 95%), but duration of HPN did not affect mortality. CONCLUSION: HPN, although a life-saving treatment, is an independent poor prognostic factor associated with high morbidity and mortality.