THE use of antimicrobials is excessive in Australian aged care homes and documentation around their use is incomplete, according to a new report from the 2016 Aged Care National Antimicrobial Prescribing Survey (acNAPS) published by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care.
The survey identified a number of issues of particular concern:
1. The use of antimicrobials in unconfirmed infection cases
2. More than two-thirds (67.2%) of prescriptions were for residents who did not have signs or symptoms of infection
3. Almost one-quarter (23%) of antimicrobials had been administered for longer than six months
4. More than one-quarter (26.9%) of prescriptions were for topical preparation when most minor skin infections are self-limiting and resolve without the use of an antibiotic with standard skin hygiene care - topical antibiotics are only appropriate for patients with minor, localised areas of impetigo
5. The antimicrobial start date was unknown for 3.2% of antimicrobials administered, while the indication was not documented in 22.1% of cases and a review or stop date was not specified for 49.9% of the antimicrobials administered.
CLICK HERE to access the report.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 07 Nov 17
To see the full newsletter, see the embedded issue below or CLICK HERE to download Pharmacy Daily from 07 Nov 17