Your Resource for HQIC News and Learning Opportunities | Nov. 2022
Antibiotic Stewardship 
Antibiotic Awareness Week (November 18–24) gives organizations the opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of appropriate antibiotic use to combat the threat of antibiotic resistance. This work is significant because, over the past three years, many facilities reported they saw an increase in antibiotic use across the continuum of care. While antibiotics remain a lifesaving intervention, they must be judicially used due to the risk of significant side effects and the role played in the development of antibiotic resistance.1,2

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other healthcare partners offer tools and resources (see The Flash section below) to help you assess your facility's current antibiotic stewardship program, prioritize antibiotic stewardship opportunities for improvement, and decrease the incidence of antibiotic resistance within your patient population and the communities you serve.

HSAG HQIC's team of experienced, certified infection preventionists are available to assist if you have any questions or need additional support. Contact them through your Quality Advisor or by emailing infectionprevention@hsag.com.
It Figures: Data Performance
The ratios in the table below indicate that, overall, HSAG HQIC Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) rates are improving (lower is better) but methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteremia rates are worsening. This mirrors what the CDC and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) report on a national level. You can find tools and resources to assist your facility in The Flash section of this newsletter. You may also reach out to your HSAG HQIC Quality Advisor or  email HospitalQuality@hsag.com for further assistance.
 
Visit the HSAG HQIC Quality Improvement Innovation Portal (QIIP) to view your healthcare-associated infection (HAI) data by selecting the “Measure Category” of HAI – MDRO and the “Measure” of C. diff infection SIR and MRSA SIR.
SIR = Standardized Infection Ratio. Source: NHSN. For additional details on measure specifications, please reference the HSAG HQIC Compendium of Measures. The baseline time period is 01/01/2019–12/31/2019 and current time period is 07/01/2021–06/30/2022.
The Flash: Resources
Antibiotic Awareness Week November 18–24
The Be Antibiotics Aware Partner Toolkit includes key messages for newsletters and social media, web images, infographics, public-service announcements, patient education, healthcare professional resources, and CDC resources.
COVID-19 and Antibiotic Resistance
Antibiotic resistance remains a public health threat during the COVID-19 pandemic. This CDC webpage outlines the possible effects of COVID-19 on the national state of antibiotic resistance and use.
Core Elements of Hospital Antibiotic Stewardship Programs
This CDC webpage explains the serious, adverse effects that antibiotics can have and includes resources for a hospital stewardship program, including an assessment tool.
Implementing Antibiotic Stewardship Core Elements at Small and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs)
This CDC webpage provides guidance and a downloadable PDF on practical strategies to implement antibiotic stewardship programs.
Core Elements of Human Antibiotic Stewardship in Resource-Limited Settings
This CDC webpage offers a downloadable guide for implementing an antibiotic stewardship program in settings that have fragile health systems and lack robust, regulatory framework.
Antibiotic Stewardship and Sepsis: A Balancing Act
Visit the Sepsis Alliance webpage to access this webinar presentation covering recent research regarding antibiotic treatments and sepsis care in the hospital setting.
Critical Communication
Confronting Healthcare Profession Burnout
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) International Classification of Diseases 11th Revision (ICD-11), burnout is described as a syndrome characterized by feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion, increased mental distance from one’s job or negative feelings related to one’s job, and reduced professional efficacy. Burnout, therefore, is a patient safety concern. Addressing burnout must occur before you can address improvement in other domains.3
Events and Education
Phase 2: Care Coordination Quickinar Series
Continue your care coordination journey for managing avoidable hospital readmissions. These short, 30-minute webinars are offered monthly through July 2023. Find recordings for past presentations on the quickinar webpage.

Next webinar: Tuesday, January 10, 2023 | 2 p.m. ET
References
1CDC. Core Elements of Antibiotic Stewardship. 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/antibiotic-use/core-elements/index.html
2CDC. U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week (USAAW). 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/antibiotic-use/week/index.html
3PSNet. In Conversation With… J. Bryan Sexton, PhD. MA. (PSNet). 2013. https://psnet.ahrq.gov/perspective/conversation-j-bryan-sexton-phd-ma
This material was prepared by Health Services Advisory Group (HSAG), a Hospital Quality Improvement Contractor (HQIC) under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Views expressed in this material do not necessarily reflect the official views or policy of CMS or HHS, and any reference to a specific product or entity herein does not constitute endorsement of that product or entity by CMS or HHS. Publication No XS-HQIC-XT-11032022-01