Attention Medical Staff:
Recently, it has been brought to the attention of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Committee that providers are uncertain of the utility for antibiotic time outs. We have made an effort to bring more meaning to these reminders.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends 5 core elements for a successful hospital antibiotic stewardship program one of which is “Action”.
An example of an “Action” is a systemic evaluation of ongoing treatment need after a set period of initial treatment also known as an “antibiotic time out”. At UMC these reminders or alerts fire for Level 1 and Level 2 restricted antimicrobials (see list below). There are two time outs, at 48-hours and 72-hours. The 48-hour antibiotic time out is a reminder through SmartZone (which is seen in a ribbon on the right hand side of PowerChart). However, if no modification is made to therapy at 48 hours then a 72-hour antibiotic time out will then fire on a close chart. This time out requires an action be taken by the provider before continuing. See below for examples of both.
48-Hour SmartZone Reminder:
Example: Carbapenem Alert
72-Hour PowerChart Actionable Alert:
Kind Regards-
The Antimicrobial Stewardship Program and Dr. Ragain, CMO
