CHI - St. Joseph's Health - MN

Slowing the Spread of Superbugs How to Do Your Part Here are three things you can do to help stop the spread of antibiotic- resistant bacteria: 1. Set realistic expectations. Antibiotics treat bacterial infections, not viruses. Don't expect a physician to prescribe an antibiotic for a cold or the flu. 2. Empower yourself. If your physician recommends an antibiotic, ask what kind of infection you have, what drug he or she is prescribing, and whether you could get better without it. 3. Finish what you start. If you don't complete the full course of an antibiotic prescription, the bacteria may survive and develop resistance to the drug, and the infection may return. What happens when infectious bacteria stop responding to the antibiotics typically used to treat them? Providers must get smarter about how they use the drugs. G erms that have developed resistance to certain antibiotics—also known as antimicrobials—are a serious problem for all hospitals, including CHI St. Joseph's Health. "We've treated patients infected with bacteria that are resistant to the common antibiotic penicillin, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus [MRSA]," says Wendy Gullicksrud, RN, CIC, Infection Prevention Coordinator at CHI St. Joseph's Health. "We've also cared for individuals infected with a bacterium called Clostridium difficile (C-diff ). When patients take antibiotics for infections, the drugs can destroy helpful bacteria along with the harmful bacteria." PRESCRIBING WITH CARE In 2014, CHI St. Joseph's Health formed the Antimicrobial Stewardship Committee (ASC), a 10-member panel representing a variety of hospital departments and medical disciplines. Its task: to educate our providers about common antibiotic- resistant bacteria and promote antibiotic prescribing practices that keep patients safe, such as reducing the use of broad-spectrum drugs. "Our staff pays special attention to the number of antibiotics patients are taking and how long they've been taking them," says Jodi Behrens, PharmD, CHI St. Joseph's Health pharmacist. "We also take special care to obtain fluid or tissue samples to produce a bacterial culture in the lab. That helps us diagnose infections more accurately. We always want to use the right antibiotic for the right infection." The ASC's efforts have paid off—hospital-acquired MRSA and C-diff infections are down. A new high-tech tool is helping providers track antibiotic use in hospitalized patients. "We now have a software program that allows us to closely monitor the number of days patients have been on antibiotics and better identify candidates for switching from intravenous to safer, oral medications," Gullicksrud says. "No new antibiotics are slated to come out in the near future, so it's important to use the ones we have wisely." 3 www.CHISJH.org | CHI St. Joseph's Health

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