The Antimicrobial Stewardship Approach to Combating Clostridium Difficile

Clostridium difficile-associated disease: an emerging threat to patient safety: insights from the Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists.

A formerly infrequently isolated strain of Clostridium difficile known as BI/NAP1 has resulted in geographically diverse outbreaks of C. difficile-associated disease. Such rapid dissemination and distribution of an outbreak strain of C. difficile are unprecedented, with many regions across North America, as well as several countries in Europe, being affected, all in such a short period of time....

A Multi-Faceted Antimicrobial Stewardship Program (ASP) Intervention Using Clinical Pharmacists Reduces Antibiotic Use and Hospital-Acquired Clostridium difficile Infection (HA-CDI)

Reduction of Clostridium difficile Infection in a Community Teaching Hospital Associated with Antimicrobial Stewardship Team Interventions on Fluoroquinolone Utilization

Growing a "positive culture" of antimicrobial stewardship in a community hospital.

BACKGROUND Promoting the appropriate use of antimicrobials is a core value of antimicrobial stewardship. Prospective audit and feedback constitute an effective strategy for reducing the cost and use of antimicrobials, as well as their adverse effects, such as infection with Clostridium difficile. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the antimicrobial stewardship program in the intensive care unit at the aut...

A call to arms: the imperative for antimicrobial stewardship.

Antimicrobial resistance is a major public health crisis. The prevalence of drug-resistant organisms, such as the emerging NAP1 strain of Clostridium difficile, now highly resistant to fluoroquinolones, Acinetobacter species, Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase-producing organisms, and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, is increasing nationwide. The sources of antimicrobial resistance...