title: Prevalence of Antimicrobial Use and Opportunities to Improve Prescribing Practices in U.S. Nursing Homes.
abstract: To describe the prevalence and epidemiology of antimicrobial use (AU) in nursing home residents.
  
  
  
  One-day point prevalence survey.
  
  
  
  Nine nursing homes in four states; 1,272 eligible residents.
  
  
  
  Frequency of antimicrobials prescribed, drug name, start date, duration, route, rationale, and treatment site. AU prevalence per 100 residents overall and by resident characteristic.
  
  
  
  AU prevalence was 11.1% (95% confidence interval, 9.4%-12.9%) and varied by resident characteristics. Most (32%) antimicrobials were given for urinary tract infection. For 38% of AU, key prescribing information was not documented.
  
  
  
  Opportunities to improve AU documentation and prescribing exist in nursing homes.
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA. Electronic address: ndthompson@cdc.gov.
authors.forename: Nicola D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: LaPlace
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA.
authors.forename: Lauren
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Epstein
authors.affiliation: New Mexico Emerging Infections Program, New Mexico Department of Health, Santa Fe, NM.
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.affiliation: University of Rochester, Rochester, NY; Emerging Infections Program, Rochester, NY.
authors.forename: Ghinwa
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dumyati
authors.affiliation: Emerging Infections Program, Rochester, NY.
authors.forename: Cathleen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Concannon
authors.affiliation: Emerging Infections Program, Rochester, NY.
authors.forename: Gail
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Quinlan
authors.affiliation: Minnesota Emerging Infections Program, Minnesota Department of Health, Saint Paul, MN.
authors.forename: Tory
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Witten
authors.affiliation: Minnesota Emerging Infections Program, Minnesota Department of Health, Saint Paul, MN.
authors.forename: Linn
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Warnke
authors.affiliation: Minnesota Emerging Infections Program, Minnesota Department of Health, Saint Paul, MN.
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lynfield
authors.affiliation: Connecticut Emerging Infections Program, Connecticut Department of Public Health, Hartford, CT.
authors.forename: Meghan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maloney
authors.affiliation: Connecticut Emerging Infections Program, Connecticut Department of Public Health, Hartford, CT.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Melchreit
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA.
authors.forename: Nimalie D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Stone
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011307:Drug Prescriptions; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009735:Nursing Homes; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000592:standards*; D058996:Quality Improvement; D014481:United States; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000188:drug therapy; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents
keywords: Nursing home; antibiotic; antimicrobial use; prescribing; surveillance