December 6, 2023
“Many providers have a misperception about what is considered to be a drug allergy,” said Mildren Kwan, UNC School of Medicine professor and CASP Super Steward. Doctors at the UNC School of Medicine and Cincinnati Children’s collaborate to develop an innovative, patient-initiated online platform designed to remove the penicillin allergy label from misdiagnosed pediatric patients.
November 20, 2023
In the United States, respiratory infections are prevalent throughout the year and contribute significantly to the burden of disease on the healthcare system. These illnesses typically increase in frequency during the fall and winter months with peak activity from December to March. This increase can be attributed to colder temperatures forcing people to stay indoors …
November 18, 2023
Treating asymptomatic bacteriuria can have negative effects for patients. In cases of asymptomatic bacteriuria, patients’ urine may be colonized with bacteria, but they do not have signs or symptoms of urinary tract infection (UTI). Evidence shows that treatment of asymptomatic bacteriuria does not benefit patients but does increase healthcare costs, hospital lengths of stay, and …
November 14, 2023
CASP's Melissa Miller joined an expert discussion on the impact of diagnostic testing and the future of public health. Diagnostic tests are important in mitigating infectious diseases but also in reducing antibiotic overuse. Early in the pandemic, providers were without empirical data on the presence of COVID-19, a detriment that contributed to the unnecessary use of antibiotics, exacerbating antimicrobial resistance.
November 3, 2023
Cross-posted from CDC’s Safe Healthcare Blog by Cosby Stone, Jr. MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Allergy, Pulmonology, and Critical Care Medicine within the Department of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center
October 12, 2023
Dr. David J. Weber of UNC Health was honored at the University Day ceremony on Oct. 12.
October 5, 2023
Will you be attending ID Week in Boston or virtually? Consider adding these posters and presentations to your schedule. You will see friendly CASP and OPAT faces and learn something new. Presentations Zach Willis, MD, MPH is an invited panelist on Challenging Cases in Pediatric Infectious Diseases. Friday, October 13, 2023 | 3:15-4:30 PM Location: …
August 30, 2023
Kenneth Busby III, DO worked with experts at Kenya’s Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital to contextualize the clinical pathway for its children’s hospital. When an infant or child with cancer spikes a fever, it can be deadly. Neutropenia is a condition often encountered following chemotherapy for children with blood cancer. As this reduces the patient’s …
June 15, 2023
The Outpatient Parenteral Antibiotic Therapy Program (OPAT) was recognized as one of four UNC Hospitals-wide winners of the 2022 Quality and Safety Awards. The honorees were recognized for their work at a ceremony with hospital leadership on June 13, 2023, as a part of the Medical Center Improvement Council meeting. The UNC Hospitals Quality and …
May 26, 2023
The Carolina Antimicrobial Stewardship Program honored three collaborators with Super Steward Awards. Stacy Campbell-Bright, PharmD, Briana Castillo, MD, and Will Kwan, Jr., MD were among the award recipients. CASP created the awards in 2022 to recognize colleagues’ efforts to champion stewardship in their settings. “In CASP, we are very aware that the success of our …
May 24, 2023
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common, regardless of practice setting or medical specialty. The management of UTIs has progressed significantly in recent years due to shifts in antimicrobial resistance patterns and additional evidence to support optimal diagnosis, antibiotic selection, and antibiotic duration. The Carolina Antimicrobial Stewardship Program incorporated local microbiological data and the latest evidence …
May 15, 2023
How well can you identify blood culturing best practices? Take the three-question quiz. 1. The preferred method for obtaining blood cultures is by: a. peripheral venipuncture b. peripheral intravenous catheter (PIV) orarterial catheter c. central venous catheter 2. All adult blood cultures require a total of ____ bottles filled to ____ ml volume. a. …