University of Minnesota Antimicrobial Stewardship Program Tackles HAIs

Susan Kline, MD, MPH, associate professor of medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases and International Medicine, medical director for Infection Control, lead physician for Antibiotic Stewardship, at the University of Minnesota, discusses the growing problem of antibiotic-resistance in hospital-acquired infections.

Interview Transcript (slightly modified for readability)

“We have, over several years, been able to see a decrease in antibiotic-resistant hospital-acquired infections. And so, when we started our program, that was one of the things that we hoped we would achieve. We were worried about the emergence of MRSA, vancomycin-resistant enterococci [VRE] and then also, the gram-negative resistance, that really has emerged since we began the program.

One of our goals was to prevent further emergence of these antibiotic-resistant hospital-acquired infections. Over time, we have been able to see some declines, in particular with the gram-positive HAIs, like MRSA and VRE infections. We’ve actually began to see more gram-negative resistance, though, during that time period [since the launch of our program]. I think that probably reflects the trend that’s going on around the country, and around the world, as well. That’s an ongoing problem that we’re still trying to combat.”