Antimicrobial Documentation Lacking, Undermining Stewardship Programs

​More than-one third of antimicrobials prescribed at nine nursing homes during one six-month stretch were missing at least one key piece of prescribing information that could justify the agent's use, undermining antibiotic stewardship programs, according to an article in the December 2016JAMDA(Journal of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine). The authors performed one-day spot checks at the nursing homes between December 2013 and May 2014, covering 160 antimicrobials ordered for 141 residents. The overall antimicrobial rate was 11%, but it was substantially higher for residents with certain characteristics, such as those in short-stay units (21%) and those with invasive medical devices (24%). The prescriptions were mostly for urinary tract infections (32%), skin infections (29%), and respiratory tract infections (26%).