McKnights: Drew Graham on Confronting Antibiotic Challenges for Long-Term Care Facilities

Overview

In a recent article published by McKnight’s Long-Term Care News, Partner Drew Graham, chair of Hall Booth Smith’s Aging Services practice, interviewed Dr. Morgan Katz, director of antimicrobial stewardship at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore, for her thoughts on the negative ramifications of improper use of antibiotics.

“Antibiotic resistance is one of our greatest public health threats, and the long-term care setting is unfortunately a reservoir for multidrug-resistant organisms,” Dr. Katz told Graham. “Long-term care residents are older and more vulnerable to infections, who live in a congregate setting with continued exposure to healthcare and unfortunately high antibiotic exposure. These factors increase the risk of cultivating resistant organisms.”

Given the challenges of antibiotic resistance, particularly for senior-aged residents, Dr. Katz suggested nursing home providers should be trained on active monitoring. “That means if you identify a change in a resident — maybe not a fever, but the resident isn’t acting as usual, like refusing to eat breakfast — we don’t assume they have an infection and start antibiotics,” she explained. “We do watch that resident more closely. We check vital signs more frequently to catch if they may be clinically worsening and showing signs of infection that would indicate a need to start antibiotics or transfer to a higher level of care.”

The full article can be read on McKnights’ website.

About McKnights Long-Term Care News

McKnight’s Long-Term Care News is a business news brand serving leaders in the institutional long-term care field, focusing especially on the higher-needs skilled nursing setting. Readers run the nation’s more than 15,000 nursing homes and collectively are charged with providing quality eldercare services for more than 1.5 million residents each year.

McKnight’s delivers incisive stories, informed perspective, analysis and features, and more. Readers must know about many subjects, including voluminous regulations and business issues, while operating under severe funding and time constraints.

Disclaimer

This material is provided for informational purposes only. It is not intended to constitute legal advice nor does it create a client-lawyer relationship between Hall Booth Smith, P.C. and any recipient. Recipients should consult with counsel before taking any actions based on the information contained within this material. This material may be considered attorney advertising in some jurisdictions. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.