Information technology can support antimicrobial stewardship programs

NEW YORK (April 23, 2019) — The incorporation of information technology (IT) into an antimicrobial stewardship program can help improve efficiency of the interventions and facilitate tracking and reporting of key metrics, including outcomes, according to a Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) white paper published in the society’s journal Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology.

“When used intentionally, information technology can help ease the growing demands placed on healthcare systems to meet antimicrobial stewardship standards and reporting requirements, even as financial and personnel resources are reduced,” said Kristi Kuper, PharmD, BCPS, senior clinical manager for infectious diseases in the Center for Pharmacy Practice Excellence at Vizient and lead author of the white paper.

The paper, The Role of Electronic Health Record and “Add-On” Clinical Decision Support Systems to Enhance Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs, provides a review of the stewardship related functionality within these IT systems. The paper also describes how the platforms can be used to improve antimicrobial use and identifies how this technology can support current and potential future antimicrobial stewardship regulatory and accreditation standards. It also suggests enhancements to existing systems in use today.

Beyond recommendations on how best to select, implement, and utilize EHR and clinical decision-support tools, the authors outline several recommendations to help close the gaps in existing systems including:

• Creating more nimble systems for non-acute settings such as primary care clinics, surgery centers, and outpatient dialysis centers

• Improving documentation processes for clinical decision support and EHR tools to reduce the provider burden

• Enhancing the ability to track and report patient outcomes

• Establishing user networks to share best practices and reduce redundancies to help increase the efficiency of the development of rules and reports

“While existing systems may present challenges, when used optimally, informatics can create readily available tools for local and national reporting, help guide appropriate antimicrobial prescribing that improves selection, dosing, and duration of therapy, and serve as an educational reference for trainees and providers,” said Kuper.

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Kristi Kuper, Jerod Nagel, Jarrod Kile, Larissa May, Francesca Lee. “The Role of Electronic Health Record and ‘Add-on’ Clinical Decision Support Systems to enhance Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs” Web (April 23, 2019)

Published through a partnership between the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America and Cambridge University Press, Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology provides original, peer reviewed scientific articles for anyone involved with an infection control or epidemiology program in a hospital or healthcare facility. ICHE is ranked 19th out of 83 Infectious Disease Journals in the latest Web of Knowledge Journal Citation Reports from Thomson Reuters.

The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) is a professional society representing more than 2,000 physicians and other healthcare professionals around the world who possess expertise and passion for healthcare epidemiology, infection prevention, and antimicrobial stewardship. The society’s work improves public health by establishing infection-prevention measures and supporting antibiotic stewardship among healthcare providers, hospitals, and health systems. This is accomplished by leading research studies, translating research into clinical practice, developing evidence-based policies, optimizing antibiotic stewardship, and advancing the field of healthcare epidemiology. SHEA and its members strive to improve patient outcomes and create a safer, healthier future for all. Visit SHEA online at http://www.shea-online.org, http://www.facebook.com/SHEApreventingHAIs and @SHEA_Epi.

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