Saint Francis Hospital Receives IDSA Excellence Designation

Press release from Trinity Health Of New England:

Aug. 2, 2021

Saint Francis Hospital, a member of Trinity Health Of New England, has been awarded the designation of Antimicrobial Stewardship Center of Excellence by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. The designated hospitals have created stewardship programs led by infectious diseases-trained physicians and pharmacists that advance science in antimicrobial resistance.

They have also achieved standards aligned with evidence-based national guidelines, such as the IDSA-Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of American (SHEA) joint guidelines and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Core Elements. Saint Francis is one of 131 programs worldwide to have received the designation since the program’s launch in 2017, including the Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, the first hospital outside of the United States to receive the distinction.

“We are honored to be named an Antimicrobial Stewardship Center of Excellence,” said Jessica Abrantes-Figueiredo, MD, Chief of Infectious Disease at Saint Francis Hospital. “Saint Francis is constantly striving to be at the forefront of safety and innovation, and this designation is a testament to the commitment we have made in advancing these areas of care.”

“As hospitals continue to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are also reminded that antimicrobial resistance threatens our ability to treat patients each and every day,” said IDSA President Barbara D. Alexander, MD, MHS, FIDSA. “IDSA continues to prioritize fighting antimicrobial resistance through research, education, training, and policy initiatives. Our Centers of Excellence program recognizes hospitals that are joining us in that fight. These institutions exhibit the innovation and leadership needed to have an impact against antimicrobial resistance and have instituted practices for others to emulate.”

The core criteria for the CoE program places emphasis on an institution’s ability to implement stewardship protocols by integrating best practices to slow the emergence of resistance, optimize the treatment of infections, reduce adverse events associated with antibiotic use, and to address other challenging areas related to antimicrobial stewardship. A panel of IDSA member experts in antimicrobial stewardship, including ID-trained physicians and ID-trained pharmacists, evaluate CoE applications against high-level criteria established by IDSA leadership for determining merit.

Trinity Health Of New England has had an active antibiotic stewardship program since 2014. It is a joint initiative between the Division of Infectious Diseases and the Department of Pharmacy. The program works collaboratively with clinicians and staff from a variety of disciplines and departments to ensure antimicrobials are being used correctly in our patients, improve patient outcomes, and slow the development of antimicrobial resistance.

For more information about the Antibiotic Stewardship Program at Saint Francis Hospital, please visit https://www.trinityhealthofne.... research/antibiotic-stewardship-program.

This press release was produced by Trinity Health Of New England. The views expressed here are the author's own.