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New Antimicrobial Stewardship Program at WVH

16 Jun 2024

Improves treatment, patient outcomes, reduces resistance



By: Mia Ha, PharmD, West Valley Hospital pharmacy manager

West Valley Hospital now has an Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) Program. Led by Mia Ha, PharmD, WVH pharmacy manager; and Christina Meier, MD, WVH ED medical director, the multidisciplinary team includes lab, nursing, infection prevention and IS/data support.

 

The AMS Program uses the 2019 CDC Core Elements to guide the structure and initiatives of the program:

  • Leadership commitment
  • Accountability
  • Drug expertise
  • Action
  • Tracking
  • Reporting
  • Education

 

WVH AMS Program goals:

  • Optimize antimicrobial selection, dose and duration of treatment to improve patient outcomes.
  • Minimize adverse drug reactions or unintended negative consequences of antimicrobial use.
  • Reduce morbidity and mortality of our patients.
  • Reduce the emergence of resistance.

 

The program uses two core strategies: A prospective feedback process and the WVH Anti-Infective Formulary Management Guideline (AFMG) in the inpatient setting.

 

The AFMG limits inappropriate orders of selected agents by providing guidance on acceptable indications. Other strategies include de-escalation of therapy, dose optimization, IV to oral conversion, community antibiogram and AMS education.

 

The program also uses system resources to improve alignment and an efficient use of resources, such as shared guidelines and EMR orders / order sets.

 

For the Salem Health AMS resources, click here (Salem Health intranet access required) and click here for the WVH Antimicrobial Stewardship Policy.

 

Questions? Contact mia.ha@salemhealth.org.

 

References: