Is your facility doing a good job of combating antibiotic resistance? Here is what the CDC recommends you do to be a part of the solution.
Leadership Support
Clearly define roles and responsibilities for the Medical Director and Director of Nursing.
Write policies and procedures for the use of antibiotics.
Review antibiotic use and resistance data during quality assurance meetings.
Accountability
Identify a lead for antibiotic stewardship activities. This could be the Medical Director, Director or Assistant Director of Nursing, or a pharmacist.
Drug Expertise
Maintain access to someone with antibiotic stewardship expertise. Options include a pharmacist who is experienced in the use of antibiotics, the antibiotic stewardship team at a referral hospital, or an expert in infectious diseases.
Tracking and Monitoring
Develop a report summarizing antibiotic use.
Monitor rates of C. difficile infection.
Monitor rates of antibiotic resistant organisms.
Monitor adverse events related to antibiotic use.
Actions To Improve Use
Document dose, duration, and indication for all antibiotic Rx.
Develop an algorithm for diagnosis and treatment of infections.
Periodically review agents listed on the formulary.
Review antibiotic use history when transferring in patients from another facility.
Reporting Information
Measure antibiotic use and outcomes.
Personalize provider feedback on antibiotic use.
Provide educational resources and materials about antibiotic resistance to clinical providers and nursing staff.
When the pandemic hit, many cities and organizations struggled to implement COVID-19 testing while Premier Lab Solutions was perfectly poised to enter the COVID-19 testing industry. While other labs were working to implement testing procedures and safety protocols, Premier Lab Solutions was securing its initial contracts with major municipalities, counties, and government agencies including The City of Phoenix, State of Arizona, and Maricopa County. Being one of the forerunners of the pandemic, Premier Lab Solutions has set the industry standard for COVID-19 testing in Arizona. The pandemic is an ongoing crisis, so finding a top-tier laboratory to handle COVID-19 testing is important to patients, businesses, and the community as a whole.
Here are ways that Premier Lab Solutions stands apart from the rest:
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Ruling Out What Ails You – Often times COVID-19 and the Flu appear very similar and it can be hard to discern which is which. New testing methods allow patients to test for Flu A + Flu B in addition to COVID-19.
Many testing locations are available valley wide ready to serve the community. Often, pop-up locations will appear around the city and surrounding counties to help stop the spread in local areas. Schedule a testing appointment to eliminate wait time, or simply find a location to do a walk-up or drive-thru test.
