Automated EMR tool improves antimicrobial stewardship

Researchers customized a Pennsylvania hospital’s electronic medical record to automate antimicrobial stewardship documentation and found that the tweak increased the number of charts that could be reviewed and was associated with a decrease in antimicrobial use, drug resistance and Clostridioides difficile infections. Michael Katzman, MD, FACP, FIDSA, professor of infectious diseases Researchers customized a Pennsylvania hospital’s electronic medical record to automate antimicrobial stewardship documentation and found that the tweak increased the number of charts that could be reviewed and was associated with a decrease in antimicrobial use, drug resistance and Clostridioides difficile infections.

Michael Katzman, MD, FACP, FIDSA, professor of infectious diseases at Penn State College of Medicine and director of the antimicrobial stewardship program at Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, and colleagues noted that quality improvement and leadership support of antimicrobial stewardship programs hinge on documenting their actions and impact.