Washington Regional Again Achieves Antimicrobial Stewardship Center of Excellence Designation
Washington Regional Medical Center has successfully earned redesignation for a fourth time as an Antimicrobial Stewardship Center of Excellence (CoE) by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA). Washington Regional was the first hospital in Arkansas to achieve the prestigious designation and is one of only two hospitals in the state to be named an Antimicrobial Stewardship Center of Excellence. Washington Regional is also the only hospital in the state to receive four consecutive CoE designations.
To earn the designation, a hospital’s antibiotic stewardship measures are evaluated by the IDSA every two years. Antibiotic stewardship refers to the steps taken by a health care system to ensure the safe and appropriate use of antibiotics to improve patient outcomes while reducing antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria evolve and adapt to survive antibiotic treatment. Overuse of antibiotics, such a taking them for a viral infection, is a leading cause of antibiotic resistance.
“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention named antibiotic resistance as one of the largest public health challenges and estimates more than two million people in the U.S. will contract an antibiotic-resistant infection each year,” said Dr. Buddy Newton, an infectious disease specialist at Washington Regional and co-chair of the Arkansas Department of Health’s subcommittee for antimicrobial stewardship and antibiotic resistance. “Stewardship programs like Washington Regional’s ensure patients receive the right antibiotic, at the right dosage, at the right time and for the right duration to prevent bacteria from becoming resistant to antibiotic treatment.”
“Washington Regional’s mission is to improve the health of people in the communities we serve. Making sure life-saving antibiotics remain effective and available is part of achieving that goal,” said Washington Regional Chief Medical Officer Dr. David Ratcliff. “Earning this designation for a fourth time highlights our commitment to providing high quality care by following best practices when prescribing antibiotic medications.”
The CoE program was launched by the IDSA in 2017, and the designation is awarded to hospitals whose stewardship programs have achieved quality standards set by the CDC and IDSA. This designation is considered the industry’s gold standard in antimicrobial stewardship. Washington Regional’s stewardship program was established in 2012 Washington Regional first achieved CoE status in 2018.