Joint Commission calls on CEOs to fight MDROs
Joint Commission calls on CEOs to fight MDROs
MDROs are both deadly and costly
Multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) such as those common in staph and enterococci strains are increasingly the cause of infection, prolonged illness and death among a large patient population, The Joint Commission emphasizes in a new report aimed at health care senior leaders.
"We're trying to put out a call to action to CEOs and senior health care executives to lead the charge and lead their organizations in addresses the problems and challenges with antibiotic resistance and MDROs," says Barbara Soule, RN, MPA, CIC, practice leader for infection control services at Joint Commission Resources (JCR) Inc.
As one of the most complex management issues that health care executives face today, MDRO infections put staggering clinical and financial burdens on hospitals, the JCR report emphasizes. The cost of care can be more than double for patients with this infection than those without. It is crucial that executives understand the economic and clinical impacts MDROs have on their hospitals, caregivers, and patients, the report notes.
"What Every Health Care Executive Should Know: The Cost of Antibiotic Resistance," is a free, online multimedia toolkit developed for hospital executives that brings together the clinical and financial forces at work in antibiotic resistance. The toolkit was a collaborative effort among executives, senior leaders, physicians, nurses, and epidemiologists, the JCR notes.
The timing is coincidental, but the MDRO report speaks to some of the same resource issues outlined in a recent survey by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC).
"We need to look at this issue in the full context of the infection prevention and control program," Soule tells Hospital Infection Control & Prevention. "Throughout the publication, it talks about the leaders providing resources. Certainly, we will be emphasizing that MDROs and antibiotic resistance includes resources for the infection prevention team, for the pharmacy to have antibiotic stewardship programs."
A series of "talking points" for CEOs in the report include:
- The incidence of MDRO infections among hospital patients has continued to rise, despite widespread efforts to control their spread. MDROs are even being seen among patients in the community.
- Two main factors drive the spread of MDROs:
— Antibiotic misuse and overuse by clinicians;
— Cross-transmission between patients, usually in health care settings.
- Infections caused by MDROs are associated with worsened clinical outcomes, including an increased risk of death.
- MDRO infections also are associated with significantly increased costs to hospitals, mostly attributable to increased length of stay.
- Media, legislative, and regulatory pressures are compelling hospitals to more effectively control MDROs.
- The clinical and financial burden of MDRO control must be weighed against the impact of other organization challenges.
- The impact of MDROs on an organization can be difficult to quantify.
- The complexity of such analyses has been increased because of the influence of alarmist media reports, pay-for-performance initiatives, and legislative and regulatory mandates.
Overview of an effective MDRO plan
- Detailed examination of the clinical and economic impact of MDROs on the institution (risk assessment) is an essential first step
- Comprehensive and critical evaluation of current policies and practices is often overlooked
— The optimal MDRO control program will also include:
- a clear statement of goals and deliverables;
- a plan to communicate new initiatives up and down the organizational hierarchy.
(Editor's note: The report is available at http://www.jointcommission.org/.)
Multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) such as those common in staph and enterococci strains are increasingly the cause of infection, prolonged illness and death among a large patient population, The Joint Commission emphasizes in a new report aimed at health care senior leaders.Subscribe Now for Access
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