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Antimicrobial Use in Long-Term–Care Facilities

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Lindsay E. Nicolle*
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, Health Sciences Center, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
David W. Bentley
Affiliation:
Veterans Affairs Medical Center, St Louis, Missouri
Richard Garibaldi
Affiliation:
University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Connecticut
Ellen G. Neuhaus
Affiliation:
Rockville General Hospital, Vernon, Connecticut
Philip W. Smith
Affiliation:
University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska
*
Department of Medicine, Health Sciences Center, 820 Sherbrook St, Room GC430, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3A 1R9, Canada

Abstract

There is intense antimicrobial use in long-term-care facilities (LTCFs), and studies repeatedly document that much of this use is inappropriate. The current crisis in antimicrobial resistance, which encompasses the LTCF, heightens concerns of antimicrobial use. Attempts to improve antimicrobial use in the LTCF are complicated by characteristics of the patient population, limited availability of diagnostic tests, and the virtual absence of relevant clinical trials. This position paper recommends approaches to management of common infections in LTCF patients and proposes minimal standards for an anti-microbial review program. In developing these recommendations, the position paper acknowledges the unique aspects of provision of care in the LTCF.

Type
SHEA Position Paper
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 2000

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