Failure to Ensure Residents Met Criteria Before Initiating Antibiotics
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that residents met established clinical criteria prior to the initiation of antibiotics, as required by their antibiotic stewardship policy. A review of the Infection Tracking - ATB (antibiotic) Log and interviews with staff revealed that antibiotics were prescribed to 13 out of 17 residents reviewed for antibiotic stewardship, despite these residents not meeting McGeer's criteria for appropriate antibiotic use. The antibiotics were ordered for urinary tract infections (UTIs) across multiple residents, with specific medications including Ertapenem, Bactrim DS, Amoxicillin, Cefadroxil, Levofloxacin, Cephalexin, and Ciprofloxacin being prescribed without sufficient clinical or laboratory evidence as outlined by McGeer's criteria. The infection preventionist confirmed that the facility utilized McGeer's criteria as part of their antibiotic surveillance program and verified that the residents in question did not meet the necessary criteria before antibiotics were initiated. The facility's policy, dated 12/16/24, states that the purpose of the antibiotic stewardship program is to optimize infection treatment and reduce unnecessary or inappropriate antibiotic use, but this policy was not followed in these cases.