Another win against superbugs

Sunnybrook's antimicrobial stewardship program is called Day 3 Reflections and is at the leading edge of this work in Canadian hospitals.

Antimicrobial stewardship programs help hospitals optimize the use of antimicrobials (antibiotic, antiviral and antifungal medications) to maximize clinical cure or to prevent infection, while minimizing consequences of antibiotic overuse, including antibiotic-resistant organisms such as MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and C. difficile (Clostridium difficile).

‘We are all here for the best quality in patient care' is the simple but powerful idea behind Sunnybrook's program — and the key to its success.

The program is a joint project of the division of infectious diseases and the department of pharmacy in close partnership with clinical care areas across the hospital.

"From the beginning we wanted the program to focus on a more collaborative, consultative process," says Dr. Nick Daneman, infectious diseases physician lead, antimicrobial stewardship program, and a clinician scientist in the division of infectious diseases at Sunnybrook.

"Day 3 Reflections is symbolic of our unique approach and our collective thinking at a time in the patient's stay when generally there is more data and his or her condition is more stable. The stewardship team and the care teams can take a figurative step back, to review and discuss the most appropriate antibiotic use," says Dr. Sandra Walker, clinical coordinator - infectious diseases and antimicrobial stewardship, in the department of pharmacy.