Author: Kelly Cawcutt
Advancing Healthcare and Antimicrobial Stewardship in Nebraska
Content courtesy of Phil Chung and the Nebraska ASAP. The Nebraska Antimicrobial Stewardship Assessment and Promotion Program (ASAP) is funded by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Healthcare-Associated Infection Team through a CDC grant. It is closely affiliated with the nationally recognized Antimicrobial Stewardship Program (ASP) at Nebraska Medicine and Division of Infectious […]
Aug 23, 2017
Are contact isolation precautions (CP) necessary when caring for patients infected or colonized with endemic MRSA or VRE?
Researchers from the University of Nebraska Medical Center Division of Infectious Diseases and Nebraska Medicine Department of Infection Control and Epidemiology recently published results from a two-year observational study indicating that routine use of contact isolation precautions (CP) are not needed in caring for patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE). (Rupp ME, […]
Aug 21, 2017
Cephalexin with or without TMP-SMX Showed Similar Clinical Cure Rates for Uncomplicated Cellulitis
Content courtesy of Philip Chung, PharmD, MS, BCPS The Infectious Diseases Society of America recommends use of antimicrobial agent active only against streptococci (e.g., cephalexin) for management of cellulitis in patients without systemic signs of infection, penetrating trauma, evidence of MRSA, and injection drug use. Despite this recommendation, healthcare providers frequently prescribe additional antimicrobial agents […]
Aug 18, 2017
THINK FUNGUS – Fungal Disease Awareness Week!
Welcome to the first Fungal Disease Awareness Week sponsored by the CDC and partners! In Infectious Diseases, we truly to see lives saved by thinking about possible fungal diseases and we treat them often. Interested in learning more about Fungal Diseases? Check out the CDC video and the website here. Share the post to help the […]
Aug 15, 2017
Antimicrobial Stewardship in Long-Term Care Facilities – The Time is Now!
Antibiotic use is common in long-term care facilities (LTCF) with 70% residents receiving at least one course of systemic antibiotic every year. A significant proportion of the antibiotic use (40% to 75%) in nursing homes has been found to be unnecessary or inappropriate. The prevalence of multi-drug resistant organisms and C. difficile infections are already […]
Aug 14, 2017
Pharmacist-Driven Intervention Improves Care of Patients with Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia
Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (SAB) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Previous studies have shown Infectious Diseases (ID) consultation for patients with SAB optimizes care and reduces mortality. A recent study highlights outcomes of a pharmacist-driven intervention to encourage adherence to SAB quality-of-care measures and ID consultation in an Ohio medical center. The study investigators found that these interventions significantly increased compliance to SAB quality-of-care measures from […]
Aug 11, 2017
Microbiology and Infectious Diseases – The Ghostbusters of Medicine
Medicine is a team sport, there is no denying that, but together the Microbiologist and Infectious Diseases(ID) specialists create a powerhouse of for diagnosis and treatment. Detect, Identify and Destroy. Infectious Disease physicians are called in to start the investigation – does the patient have an infection? What do we think is the most […]
Aug 7, 2017
Dr. Sue Swindells on “Why I Love ID”
Dr. Sue Swindells on “Why I Love ID”: “So, I found myself in a fancy maternity hospital in San Francisco not too long ago, while my daughter was having a baby. The nurses there were very excited to have an Infectious Diseases doctor in the room. I had thought they might be a bit nervous […]
Aug 3, 2017
Lisa Hill, NP on “Why I Love ID”
Lisa Hill, Nurse Practitioner with Transplant Infectious Diseases on “Why I Love ID” “ID is like a puzzle. You are looking at each piece trying to see how it fits in the big picture. Sometimes the edges are clear and sometimes pieces are missing. It is our job to look at all the details to […]
Jul 24, 2017
Hope is Not a Plan – Preparing for Public Health Emergencies.
Dr. Hewlett presented her talk “Hope is Not a Plan” for the SHEA/CDC Outbreak Response Training Workshop(ORTP) in Philadelphia in June. The workshop was geared towards Hospital Epidemiologists and focused on hospital preparedness for public health emergencies. Dr. Hewlett specifically spoke on key steps in preparing for a high-consequence pathogen infection, travel and screening tools […]
Jul 21, 2017
Recent Comments