Led By Children's Mercy, Seven-Hospital Collaboration Receives Grant to Focus on Improved Use of Antimicrobials
The Joint Commission and Pfizer Independent Grants for Learning and Change (IGLC) awarded the two-year grant after reviewing more than 100 initial applications. The grant went into effect in September, and the seven hospitals today announced the formation of the project known as SHARPS: Sharing Antimicrobial Reports for Pediatric Stewardship.
In a September report, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that more than two million people are sickened every year with antibiotic-resistant infections, with at least 23,000 dying as a result and the survivors enduring longer hospital stays, delayed recuperation and long-term disability. The same report refers to antimicrobial stewardship - the commitment to always use antibiotics appropriately and safely - as the "single most important action" needed to curb the spread of antibiotic-resistant infections.
"We're extremely grateful for this grant, especially given the focus on reaching a common goal through collaborative efforts and collective successes," said Jason Newland, MD, MEd, Medical Director of Patient Safety and Systems Reliability at Children's Mercy. "These seven hospitals will use data to target areas for improvement, and then use the same data to monitor the impact after implementation of antibiotic stewardship strategies. The participating hospitals will share ideas and provide mutual support, bringing our learnings to a much broader audience."
In addition to Children's Mercy, the collaboration will include Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Primary Children's Medical Center in Utah, Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Children's Hospital & Medical Center in Omaha, and Seattle Children's Hospital. Additionally, the Children's Hospital Association will support the project through statistical help as the hospitals use the Pediatric Health Information Systems database.
Dr. Newland will be leading discussions on antimicrobial stewardship and other topics at IDWeek 2013, Oct. 2-6, at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. IDWeek 2013 is an annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA), the HIV Medicine Association (HIVMA) and the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society (PIDS). IDWeek features the latest science and bench-to-bedside approaches in prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and epidemiology of infectious diseases, including HIV, across the lifespan.
The grant is funded for two years, beginning Sept. 1, 2013.
About Children's Mercy Hospital
Children's Mercy Hospital, located in Kansas City, Mo., is one of the nation's top pediatric medical centers. The 354-bed hospital provides care for children from birth through the age of 21, and has been ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of "America's Best Children's Hospitals" and recognized by the American Nurses Credentialing Center with Magnet designation for excellence in nursing services. Its faculty of 600 pediatricians and researchers across more than 40 subspecialties are actively involved in clinical care, pediatric research, and educating the next generation of pediatric subspecialists. For more information about Children's Mercy and its research, visit childrensmercy.org or download our mobile phone app CMH4YOU for all phone types. For breaking news and videos, follow us on Twitter, YouTube and Facebook.