WICHITA –Wesley Healthcare is proud to announce that is has received designation as an IDSA (Infectious Diseases Society of America) Antimicrobial Stewardship Center of Excellence (CoE) designation. Wesley Healthcare is one of 41 programs nationwide to have received the designation since the program’s launch in 2017.
“Our stewardship program goal is to empower and engage our providers to choose and prescribe the right antibiotic at the right dose and for the right duration,” said Stephanie Harding, Wesley Healthcare infectious disease clinical specialist. “These types of programs can improve patient care, help decrease antibiotic resistance and minimize adverse events for patients.”
The core criteria for the CoE program place emphasis on an institution’s ability to implement stewardship protocols to optimize the treatment of infections and reduce adverse events associated with antibiotic use leveraging electronic health record systems and providing ongoing education to help clinicians improve the quality of patient care and promote patient safety. A panel of esteemed IDSA member leaders evaluate CoE applications against core criteria to make recommendations for the designation.
“Each year, more than 700,000 people worldwide die due to antimicrobial-resistant infections. Antimicrobial resistance is one of the greatest threats facing healthcare on a global, national and individual level. IDSA is committed to fighting antimicrobial resistance through its research, education, training, and policy efforts. IDSA is proud to partner with Wesley and others that have received the Centers of Excellence designation in turning the tide against antimicrobial resistance,” said IDSA President Cynthia Sears, MD, FIDSA.
In recent years, proactive antibiotic stewardship has become more and more imperative. Antimicrobial resistance poses a major health crisis and is exacerbated by inappropriate antimicrobial prescribing in hospitals. The potential consequences of inappropriate antimicrobial use and antimicrobial resistance includes severe hospital-acquired infection, increased morbidity and mortality, prolonged hospital lengths of stay, and increased health care costs.
Wesley identified these issues in 1993 and began taking action. At that time, a committee was formed, which first focused on intravenous to oral conversion of several antibiotics. Shortly thereafter, antibiotic streamlining became the large focused and the PACE (Patient Focuses Antimicrobial Comprehensive Evaluation) program was officially formed.
Since 1993, the antimicrobial stewardship team has taken many forms and now is a multidisciplinary team consisting of an infectious disease trained pharmacist, infectious disease physicians, as well as physicians representing a variety of other specialties. The team works diligently to ensure antimicrobials are utilized to the best of our ability in each patient.
To learn more about the IDSA Antimicrobial Stewardship Centers of Excellence program, visit Antimicrobial Stewardship Centers of Excellence.
Wesley Healthcare is the region’s leading acute-care hospital network providing a full range of diagnostic and treatment services for patients throughout Kansas and northern Oklahoma since 1912. As a leader in Overall Recommended Care in national surveys, Wesley Medical Center treats more than 24,000 patients annually and delivers more than 5,800 babies – more than any hospital in a 13-state region. Wesley provides the most extensive emergency network in Wichita, with Wesley ER, Wesley West ER, Wesley Woodlawn ER, the region’s only pediatric ER, Wesley Derby ER. Wesley owns and operates Wesley Medical Center, Wesley Woodlawn Hospital & ER and Wesley Children’s Hospital.