Antibiotic

Less than half of pharmacies surveyed in California provided correct information on how to dispose of prescription opioids and antibiotics, according to a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

In 2015, approximately 24 million antibiotic prescriptions in the United States lacked a documented indication and 32 million prescriptions were identified as inappropriate, according to data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey — indicating that nearly half of all prescriptions could be inappropriate.

A pharmacy-driven allergy assessment improved penicillin allergy documentation, increased the use of beta-lactam antibiotics and saved one hospital more than $21,000 over a 3-month period, according to prospective study findings that were presented at the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Midyear Clinical Meeting and Exhibition.

In the current era of medicine, the creation of practice guidelines and the care we provide to our patients are based on a combination of data gathered from 1) well-conducted, prospective, randomized clinical trials; 2) large cohorts of retrospective observational studies; and when these are lacking, 3) reliance on our knowledge and understanding of firm, basic scientific principles, as well as our individual and collective accumulated experiences. Nevertheless, notwithstanding our best intentions to “stick to evidence-based medicine,” and irrespective of medical or surgical specialty, a significant portion of our daily clinical practices remain rooted in dogma, dictum and tradition. In other words, “that is how we always did it.” The field of infectious diseases is no exception, particularly surrounding the general overall concept of anti-infective therapies and specifically in relationship to how, when and why we prescribe antibiotics and for how long they are administered. Traditional infectious diseases practices that were once strictly adhered to — such as treating asymptomatic bacteriuria before total joint arthroplasty surgery, prolonged pre-emptive empiric administration of broad-spectrum antibiotics for type III open orthopedic fractures, and double or dual coverage for infections caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa — have since either convincingly been disproven as being beneficial or have come under closer scrutiny and are now carried out only in certain specific circumstances.

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases will provide up to $102.5 million over 7 years in renewed funding to the Antibacterial Resistance Leadership Group, or ARLG, the NIH announced.

Antibiotic prescribing at a small Veterans Affairs hospital improved following the implementation of antibiotic review at discharge, according to study findings.

Antibiotics treat common childhood infections such as streptococcal pharyngitis and otitis media. Additionally, antibiotics treat serious infections such as sepsis. However, 30% of the antibiotics prescribed in an outpatient setting are inappropriate, according to the CDC. This issue not only predisposes children to the risk for detrimental side effects (allergic reactions, Clostridioides difficle infection, etc.), but it is also is responsible for an inimical rise in antibiotic resistance in our communities.

Debra A. Goff, PharmD, FCCP, recalled what inspired her and several colleagues to review guidelines on the use of antibiotics in dentistry for the prevention of endocarditis and prosthetic joint infections.

Study findings published in The Journal of Pediatrics suggest that following current guidelines for the diagnosis of UTI in children may result in many children with a UTI going untreated, researchers said.

A new survey found that about half of adults expect prescriptions for antibiotics when they visit the doctor — one of the top stories in infectious disease last week.