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Review
. 2021 Mar;10(1):61-73.
doi: 10.1007/s40121-020-00392-5. Epub 2021 Jan 11.

Building on Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs Through Integration with Electronic Medical Records: The Australian Experience

Kelly A Cairns  1 , Matthew D M Rawlins  2 , Sean D Unwin  3   4 , Fiona F Doukas  5 , Rosemary Burke  6 , Erica Tong  7 , Andrew J Henderson  3   8 , Allen C Cheng  9   10   11
Affiliations
Review

Building on Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs Through Integration with Electronic Medical Records: The Australian Experience

Kelly A Cairns et al. Infect Dis Ther. 2021 Mar.

Abstract

Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) is well established in Australian hospitals. Electronic medical record (EMR) implementation has lagged in Australia, with two Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Stage 6 hospitals and one Stage 7 hospital as of September 2020. Specific barriers faced by AMS teams with paper-based prescribing and medical records include real-time identification of antimicrobials orders; the ability to prospectively monitor antimicrobial use; and the integration of fundamental point of prescribing AMS principles into routine clinical practice. There are few local guidelines to assist Australian hospitals and AMS teams beyond "out of the box" EMR functionality. EMR implementation has enormous potential to positively impact AMS teams through more efficient workflows and the ability to expand the reach and coverage of AMS activities. There are inevitable limitations associated with EMR implementation that must be considered. In this paper, four Australian hospitals share their experience with EMR roll out, AMS customisation and how they have overcome specific barriers in local AMS practice.

Keywords: Antimicrobial stewardship; Australia; Electronic medical record; Electronic prescribing; Hospitals.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Princess Alexandra Hospital/District-wide antimicrobial screening view
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Princess Alexandra Hospital patient-level antimicrobial therapy view
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Concord Repatriation General Hospital interactive mPage view
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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