Unusual Case of Newborn with Salmonella Revealed with Rapid Diagnostics

by the bioMérieux Connection Editors A 4-week-old infant was admitted to pediatric ICU at the Lifespan Academic Medical Center in Providence, RI. The baby had a high fever, light sensitivity, tenderness in the neck and head, and was irritable and lethargic, with nausea and no appetite. It was difficult to awaken the child from sleep. …

Addressing the Unique Challenges Small Hospitals Face When Implementing Antibiotic Stewardship Programs

By Chris Cook, PharmD, Ph.D. In a follow-up study on antibiotic stewardship at small community hospitals, researchers at Intermountain Healthcare and University of Utah Health in Salt Lake City performed a study to identify how small community hospitals (<200 beds) can implement effective antibiotic stewardship programs. As described by Intermountain Healthcare, “For the 15 month-study, …

Hospitals with Fewer than 200 Beds More Likely to Have Inconsistent Efforts to Combat Antibiotic Resistance, Study Finds

By Chris Cook, PharmD, Ph.D. A group of researchers from Stanford University believes small hospitals in the U.S. need to focus on antibiotic stewardship, based on a research project that found hospitals with 200 beds or fewer were likely to have inconsistent efforts to reduce antibiotics overuse and misuse. “Antibiotic use and misuse is driving …