Nosocomial and Healthcare Associated Infections

Biography

Biography: Huda Mohammad Alshammari

Abstract

Clostridium difficile infections (CDIs) had become of major burden on healthcare system. These infections are the result of collateral damage to the normal bacterial flora of the human body, which is an inevitable complication of antibiotics use. CDIs pose immediate threat to the health of patients received antibiotics, more so than antimicrobial resistance. 

Considering CDIs are nearly always complications of antibiotics use, the development of program to ensure appropriate antibiotics use is considered an important prevention intervention. Multidisciplinary managed program such as antimicrobial stewardship has been initiated in health care facilities to control the misuse of antimicrobial therapies and reduce their complications. Clinical pharmacist involved antimicrobial ward-round is designed to help limit CDIs and other hospital-associated organisms by optimizing antimicrobial selection, dosing, de-escalation, and duration of antimicrobial therapy. Other activates such as audit with feedback and antibiotic restriction also have been established to impact on the antimicrobial utilization. These programs also incorporate implementation of hospital-wide guidelines, staff education, enforcement of infection-control policies, and the use of electronic medical records when possible to help control antimicrobial use. 

The literature strongly emphasize on how antimicrobial stewardship programs impact on CDIs rates discusses experiences in designing, implementing, monitoring, and follow-through of such programs. Literature shows significant decrease in the use of parenteral broad-spectrum antibiotic and in incidence of CDIs.