Expanding the role of the infection control professional in the cost-effective use of antibiotics

• Published in: American journal of infection control Vol. 28; no. 1; pp. 57 - 65
• Main Authors: Minooee, Arézou, Rickman, Leland S.
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: St. Louis, MO Mosby, Inc 01.02.2000; Mosby
• Subjects: Academic Medical Centers; Adult; Anti-Bacterial Agents - economics; Anti-Bacterial Agents - therapeutic use; Biological and medical sciences; California; Cost Savings; Cost-Benefit Analysis; Drug Therapy, Computer-Assisted; Drug Utilization - economics; General aspects; Humans; Infection Control - economics; Infection Control - methods; Infection Control Practitioners - trends; Job Description; Medical Audit - economics; Medical Audit - methods; Medical Records; Medical sciences; Personnel, Hospital - education; Planification. Prevention (methods). Intervention. Evaluation; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; California; United States; North America; America; Infection; Antibiotic; Costs; Reduction; Organization; Health policy; Surveillance; Use; Check; Hospital; Method; Antibacterial agent
• ISSN: 0196-6553; 1527-3296
• DOI: 10.1016/S0196-6553(00)90013-0

There is a growing demand that health care expenses be contained and that excessive and inappropriate use of antibiotics be eliminated. At the University of California, San Diego Medical Center, strategies aimed at controlling drug usage and subsequently reducing costs have been implemented and found to be effective. Mechanisms designed to achieve such goals without diminishing quality of care involve expanding the role of the infection control professional (ICP) while implementing antibiotic control stratagems such as antimicrobial utilization teams, antibiotic order sheets, audits of use, automatic stop orders, computer-assisted management, drug use reviews, educational efforts, formulary practice, restricted drug policies, and target drug monitoring. The infection control professional, as well as other members of the antimicrobial utilization team, contributes to the promotion of the appropriate use of antibiotics in part by identifying individual cases in which antibiotics might be used inappropriately, such as for the treatment of colonization rather than infection or when appropriate microbiologic testing has not been carried out.