Principles and Practice of Antimicrobial Stewardship Program Resource Allocation.

Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs (ASP) improve individual patient outcomes and clinical care processes while reducing antimicrobial-associated adverse events, optimizing operational priorities, and providing institutional cost savings. ASP composition, resources required, and priority focuses are influenced by myriad factors. Despite robust evidence and broad national support, individual ASPs still face challenges in obtaining appropriate resources. Though understanding the current landscape of ASP resource allocation, factors influencing staffing needs, and strategies required to obtain desired resources is important, acceptance of recommended staffing levels and appropriate ASP resource allocation are much needed to facilitate ASP sustainability and growth across the complex and diverse health care continuum.

Communication and Ethics in the Clinical Examination.

At the heart of every effective patient-physician interaction is a relationship that is built on trust. Cultivating sound communication skills coupled with the awareness and application of ethical principles is integral to this process. One of the foremost challenges in competent practice is negotiating situations that arise at the bedside when such issues as patient autonomy, differing world views, honesty, and cost stewardship come into conflict. It is essential for health care providers to consider how to detect and prioritize these issues as they advocate for high-quality and patient-centered care.

Predictors of sepsis in moderately severely injured patients: an analysis of the National Trauma Data Bank.

BACKGROUND: Post-traumatic sepsis is a significant cause of in-hospital death. However, socio-demographic and clinical characteristics that may predict sepsis in injured patients are not well known. The objective of this study was to identify risk factors that may be associated with post-traumatic sepsis. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of patients in the National Trauma Data Bank for 2007-2008. Patients older than 16 years of age with an Injury Severity Score (ISS) ≥ 9 points were included. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine association of sepsis with patient (age, gender, ethnicity, and insurance status), injury (mechanism, ISS, injury type, hypotension), and clinical (major surgical procedure, intensive care unit admission) characteristics. RESULTS: Of a total of 1.3 million patients, 373,370 met the study criteria, and 1.4% developed sepsis, with an associated mortality rate of approximately 20%. Age, male gender, African-American race, hypotension on emergency department presentation, and motor vehicle crash as the injury mechanism were independently associated with post-traumatic sepsis. CONCLUSIONS: Socio-demographic and injury factors, such as age, race, hypotension on admission, and severity and mechanism of injury predict post-traumatic sepsis significantly. Further exploration to explain why these patient groups are at increased risk is warranted in order to understand better and potentially prevent this life-threatening complication.

Predictors of postdischarge complications: role of in-hospital length of stay.

BACKGROUND: Surgical length of stay (LOS) has been correlated with quality of care, with shorter stays implying better care. The relationship between LOS and postdischarge complications (PDCs) has not been evaluated effectively. METHODS: The 2005 to 2007 National Surgical Quality Improvement Program data were queried for patients undergoing elective colectomies. The outcome of interest was the development of a PDC. Multivariate analysis was then performed adjusting for demographics, surgical approach, and comorbidities. RESULTS: A total of 12,956 colectomies were analyzed with an overall PDC of 8.7%. LOS was not associated with increased odds of developing a PDC. The laparoscopic approach reduced the risk of PDCs by 30% (odds ratio = .70, 95% confidence interval, 0.61-0.81). Body mass index, female sex, the presence of diabetes mellitus, and prolonged operative time increased the odds of developing a PDC. CONCLUSIONS: A shorter LOS did not correlate with a reduction in the likelihood of PDCs. Further investigation into the role of LOS as a measure of quality care is needed.

Profiling the ethnic characteristics of domestic injuries in children younger than age 5 years.

The home remains a very common location for deadly injuries among children younger than 5 years. The aim of this study is to describe the demographic and injury characteristics of domestic injuries in children younger than 5 years. The National Trauma Data Bank's National Sample Program data set was queried for children younger than 5 years with the injury site classified as home. Bivariate analysis was performed to determine unadjusted differences by ethnicity. Appropriate weight was applied to the sample to determine accurate national estimates. A total of 7,364 children, representing 32,033 children, were analyzed. Overall mortality was 1.6 per cent. Among whites, blacks, Hispanics, Asians, and Native Americans, intentional injuries accounted for 6.5, 12.8, 10.2, 5.2, and 19.0 per cent of all injuries by intent, respectively (P < 0.003). Burn injury was disproportionately higher in blacks (24.1%) followed by Native Americans and Asians (15.3 and 11.5%, P = 0.008). On multivariate analysis, black ethnicity was associated with increased length of stay. Intentional injuries were significantly higher in blacks and Native Americans with black patients sustaining a disproportionately higher proportion of burn injury. Therefore, greater attention is needed to provide more effective home safety interventions to children among high-risk ethnic groups.