|
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently
announced a new website that will streamline how the FDA provides updates
regarding new antibiotic susceptibility test interpretive criteria or
"breakpoints." Historically, these breakpoints were determined on a
case-by-case basis for each manufacturer. As part of the 21st Century Cures
Act, FDA will update breakpoints for multiple drugs having the same active
ingredient simultaneously and will post them on the FDA webpage in order to
give providers access to the most up-to-date information as they determine the
most effective antibiotics to use for their patients.
FDA's
full press release: FDA launches new tool for sharing information that allows doctors to better manage antibiotic use; improve patient care
 The Minnesota One Health Antibiotic Stewardship Collaborative is pleased to announce: the Minnesota Antibiotic Stewardship Honor Roll for Long-Term Care. The Minnesota Antibiotic Stewardship Honor Roll for Long-Term Care has been designed in an effort to recognize the programs developed and commitment made to antibiotic stewardship. The program objectives are to:
- Encourage stewardship commitment from administration, prescribers, and caregiver staff
- Share long-term care stewardship activities with health professionals and the public
- Provide incentive for stewardship program improvement and collaboration
- Publicize the importance of antibiotic responsibility
This statewide initiative is supported by Minnesota Department of Health, Care Providers of Minnesota, Leading Age Minnesota, Minnesota Hospital Association, Stratis Health, APIC Minnesota, CHAIN, and the Minnesota One Health Antibiotic Stewardship Collaborative.
Learn more, read the invitation letter, and apply now: Minnesota Antibiotic Stewardship Honor Rolls
 The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of
America (SHEA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have
teamed up to develop the Outbreak Response Training Program (ORTP). ORTP has
released two online decision-making simulation modules: Hospital Incident Command Systems: How to Lead When a Crisis Occurs
and Defending Against Superbugs: An
Interactive Case Study Managing an "Outbreak" of Carbapenem-Resistant
Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) in a Hospital Setting. Both modules take
about one-half hour, provide key resources, and can help improve
decision-making skills.
Learn more: SHEA/CDC Outbreak Response Training Program: Online Training
The Office of Disease Prevention and Health
Promotion and the Federal Steering Committee for the Prevention of HAIs submitted a proposal for Phase Four of the National Action Plan for the
Elimination of Healthcare-Associated Infections to the Federal Register. Phase Four is titled "Coordination Among
Federal Partners to Leverage HAI Prevention and Antibiotic Stewardship."
As the title suggests, Phase Four focuses on optimizing antibiotic use and
aligns closely with the National Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant
Bacteria. The comment period closed in December; however, if you are curious about
the future direction of HAI and antibiotic resistance prevention at the
national-level, you will want to check this out!
Learn more: National Action Plan to Prevent Health Care-Associated Infections: Road Map to Elimination; Phase Four: Coordination among Federal Partners to Leverage HAI Prevention and Antibiotic Stewardship (PDF)
 The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
(AHRQ) recently released its Toolkit
To Promote Safe Surgery. The toolkit was developed with the help of 200
hospitals that participated in the AHRQ Safety Program for Surgery for three years. The toolkit incorporates the Comprehensive Unit-based
Safety Program (CUSP) and contains two guides, one for
technical work and the other for adaptive work, along with supplemental tools and instructional modules.
Learn more: AHRQ: Toolkit To Promote Safe Surgery
|
Long-Term Care
Facility Trainings
-
For assistance in NHSN enrollment and
reporting C. difficile, contact the MDH HAI Unit at Health.HAI@state.mn.us
-
July 16-18, 2018: NHSN Long-term Care Facility
Annual Training
Acute Care Facility
Trainings
NHSN Important Dates
The National
Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) Newsletter describes important updates for
acute and long-term care:
- January 12, 2018: The new data collection forms
for 2018 will be posted for hospitals
- February 15, 2018: Annual Facility Survey
completion deadline to be used in quarter 3 reporting risk adjustment
models for hospitals participating in CMS Quality Reporting Program
- March 1, 2018: The Annual Facility
Survey completion deadline for long-term care and hospitals
- April 14, 2018: Deadline to complete NHSN
Agreement to Participate and Consent for long-term care and hospitals
APIC Minnesota is now offering its Basic Infection
Prevention Course for professionals specializing in infection prevention.
Certified (CIC) Instructors from a variety of clinical settings will provide
real world problem-solving with peers, networking support, and discuss current
regulations and standards.
Upcoming course dates in St. Paul, MN:
February 13-14, 2018; April 25-26, 2018; July 26-27, 2018;
October 25-26, 2018
Learn More: APIC Minnesota Basic Infection Prevention Course
|
