Antibiotics are some of the most widely prescribed medications given in long term care facilities with some estimates indicating that up to 70% of residents in these communities receiving one or more courses of systemic antibiotics when followed over a year. A large proportion of these antibiotics (40-75%) may be unnecessary or inappropriately prescribed, and the overuse of these drugs is not without consequence. Adverse outcomes associated with mismanaged antibiotic use include Clostridioides difficile (C.diff) infections, drug reactions and interactions, and an increased prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms (see the CDC resource site for details).
Antimicrobial stewardship is an organized and purposeful effort undertaken by healthcare facilities that ensures appropriate treatment of infections, while minimizing the adverse events associated with antibiotic overuse. One of the key components of any stewardship program is accurate and timely monitoring of antibiotic use. Antibiotic surveillance combined with provider and patient engagement can be a powerful and effective strategy for managing prescribing practices within any setting.
Chromatic Health’s HAI Tracker platform allows users to methodically track antibiotic use within their facilities and communities and produces real-time reports aimed at giving providers and administrators accurate and timely data. Our custom built reports instantly provide monitoring metrics that are recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In addition, our ad hoc reporting systems allow users the ability to build custom queries for all data in the system.
Antibiotic information is electronic, easily accessible and centrally stored, which allows users to conveniently access and analyze their information. HAI Tracker can also interface with a variety of electronic medical records and other systems (e.g., pharmacy and laboratory databases) to automate data entry.
Contact us today to find out how we can take your antimicrobial stewardship program to the next level.