Highlights:

  • PointClickCare declared that the Infection Prevention and amp; Control solution now comprises antibiotic stewardship functionality.
  • The solution assists consumers to proactively control and manage the spread of  infection amongst the senior population.
  • About 2.8 million-plus antibiotic-resistant infections occur in the US every year.
  • The stewardship functionality offers staff with reproducible and predictable process.
  • To manage and control the spread of Covid-19 amongst the senior populace, PointClickCare has made the IPC tool available free of cost.

Cloud-based software platform

PointClickCare is a top cloud-based software platform for the senior care industry. The firm declared that the Infection Prevention and amp; Control solution now comprises antibiotic stewardship functionality. Moreover, it allows staff to follow best practice guidelines for the usage of antibiotic agents. An intelligence and clinical workflow solution assists care teams to perform current resident surveillance. Also, the commercial release of Infection Prevention and amp; Control achieves the next milestone to help consumers proactively control and manage the spread of infection amongst the senior population.

World Health Organization (WHO) report states

As per  the World Health Organization (WHO), overuse and misuse of antibiotics are among the key drivers of antibiotic resistance. Such as antibiotic stewardship, defined as interventions designed to optimize antibiotic use. Thus, it is a part of their “Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance.” Common infections such as salmonellosis, pneumonia, gonorrhea, and tuberculosis are harder to treat owing to antibiotic resistance. Further, the Centers for Disease Control report states, about 2.8 million-plus antibiotic-resistant infections occur in the US every year, and therefore, more than 35,000 people die.

Stewardship functionality

The stewardship functionality offers staff a reproducible and predictable process that could be integrated into daily workflows to make sure that the right treatment   is given to patients. As per Mayo Clinic, the high antibiotic dose can cause Clostridioides difficile or C.diff, thus showing symptoms from diarrhea to the colon’s inflammation. Yearly, around 100,000 cases are registered in nursing home residents, with about 75% of patients recently exposed to antibiotics.

Nichole Fetterman, Product Leader at PointClickCare, commented: “On top of the continued battle senior care facilities are facing against COVID-19, antibiotic resistance is touted as a major risk to global health with unique implications and challenges associated with senior populations.” Further, she added, “Physicians, nurses, pharmacy consultants, infection preventionists, and certified nursing assistants must all communicate and integrate stewardship efforts into their day-to-day workflow in order to ensure that residents receive the right drugs to treat their issues appropriately.”

Enhanced antibiotic stewardship

Additionally, for advanced patient treatments, there are financial incentives for facilities to enhance their antibiotic stewardship. Fetterman commented: “Based on our analysis, early indicators show a statistically significant improvement in antibiotic stewardship related best practices in customers using IPC versus those who are not.”

To manage and control the spread of Covid-19 amongst the senior population, the cloud-based software platform (PointClickCare) made the IPC (interprocess communication) tool available for consumers for free of cost.

The best antibiotic stewardship practices and capabilities

  • Access to a repository of infection cases
  • Access to a real-time dashboard that shows infection spread data as per industrial norms

Russ DePriest, Senior Vice President (SVP) and General Manager (GM) of Skilled Nursing at PointClickCare, commented: “Our goal with this software is to help facilities eliminate guesswork and empower staff to make the best and safest decisions without needing to default to costly and possibly unnecessary medications, and reducing the risk of traumatic hospital readmissions.” Further, he added, “We are proud to offer operators data-driven technology that will provide them with information into what is happening in their facilities with regard to infection control, so that they can use those insights to improve outcomes.”