Managing antimicrobial resistance: A healthcare system's approach to antimicrobial detection and stewardship

Over the past five years, healthcare systems have faced a troubling rise in Gram-negative multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs), contributing to increased patient morbidity and mortality. At the forefront of this surge are NDM-CREs (New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase-producing carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales), which have skyrocketed by 460% between 2019 and 2023, according to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)¹. Another report by the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) showed a 57% increase in bloodstream infections caused by carbapenem resistant bacteria in the same time period².

These alarming trends underscore the urgent need for robust screening protocols and precise antibiotic susceptibility testing, especially for high-risk patient populations.

Join our group of industry experts for an insightful case-based webinar exploring the complex patient journey of a 76-year-old woman residing in a nursing home. Her story begins with a fall leading to an emergency room visit where she is found to have a hip fracture. She is admitted and has an uneventful surgical repair the next day but develops urosepsis during her post-op recovery.

This case highlights the heightened vulnerability of elderly patients to MDROs, particularly CREs. Through this patient’s journey, the speakers will examine the critical role of infection prevention protocols and the value of accurate diagnostic and antibiotic susceptibility testing in guiding effective treatment as they are applied throughout a healthcare system.

The session will also incorporate the latest IDSA guidelines for managing complicated urinary tract infections, including urosepsis, offering practical insights for clinicians, microbiologists, and infection control professionals.

Key learning objectives:

• Describe how rapid PCR screening plays a critical role in enhancing infection control protocols to help minimize transmission and support timely patient management.
• Explain how rapid AST results support optimal antimicrobial therapy decision-making to help improve patient outcomes and combat resistance.
• Outline the latest IDSA guidelines for complicated urinary tract infections.
• Discuss the impact of antimicrobial resistance and diagnostic stewardship in real-world settings.

Who should attend?

Clinical microbiology lab directors/supervisors/managers, microbiologists, microbiologist lab technicians, infectious disease specialists, infectious disease pharmacists, clinical microbiology lab executives, antibiotic stewardship committee members, infection preventionists

Accreditation statement

SelectScience^® is approved as a provider of continuing education programs in the clinical laboratory sciences by the ASCLS P.A.C.E.^® Program.

References:
1. CDC Report Finds Sharp Rise in Dangerous Drug-Resistant Bacteria | CDC Newsroom
2. Antimicrobial resistance in the EU/EEA (EARS-Net) - Annual Epidemiological Report 2023