Don’t overlook management of medications in infection battle
By John Hall
McKnight’s Long Term Care News
Many once-waning yet still-debilitating infections are rising in numbers again, erasing some of the gains made fighting multidrug resistant organisms.
Because nursing home staff were so focused on a vertical approach toward fighting the pandemic, epidemiologists are reporting increases in infections such as MRSA and Candida auris, observed Medline Medical Science Liaison Caryn Arnold.
“Just because you aren’t looking for all those multidrug-resistant organisms we were trying to focus on prior to COVID-19 does not mean they are not there,” added Deb Burdsall, Ph.D., of Baldwin Hills Solutions, LLC.
Even maladies like chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis are on the rise because events such as routine testing and elective surgeries were either postponed or unavailable, said Mary Madison, top clinical consultant for LTC/senior living at Briggs Healthcare. The pandemic has hindered medication management efforts to contain similarly dangerous infections.
“In some ways, the fight against COVID-19 has diverted our attention from some very key priorities,” said Chad Worz, PharmD, CEO of the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists. “From an infection control perspective, things like sliding scale insulin, the use of medications that must be administered three and four times a day, and polypharmacy in general become targets to reduce the potential transmission of the virus between staff and residents.”
Meanwhile, COVID-related medication management and attendant vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, and oral antivirals will continue to be prominent concerns in 2022, said Cristina Crawford, spokeswoman for the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living.
Going forward, access to COVID treatments across all senior living settings will be critical, noted Alan Rosenbloom, president and CEO of the Senior Care Pharmacy Coalition.
Worz believes a priority coming out of the pandemic should include a renewed effort “to ensure we are balancing the non-pharmaceutical interventions with any needed medications.”
This article first appeared on McKnight’s Long Term Care News. You can read the original here.
Recent Posts
-
SCPC Urges Congress to Include LTC Pharmacy Fix in Reconciliation Package to Save Prescription Drug Access for Seniors in Long-Term Care
The Senior Care Pharmacy Coalition (SCPC), the leading national voice for the long-term care (LTC) pharmacy community, released the following statement regarding the reconciliation package passed by the House Energy and Commerce Committee on May 14.
-
SCPC Applauds Senate Judiciary Committee for Spotlighting PBM Anticompetitive Behavior, Urges Immediate Action on PBM Reform
The Senior Care Pharmacy Coalition (SCPC), the leading national voice for the long-term care (LTC) pharmacy community, released the following statement thanking Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley and members of the Committee for prioritizing pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) reform during today’s hearing, “PBM Power Play: Examining Competition Issues in the Prescription Drug Supply Chain.”
-
Policies Aimed at Lowering Drug Prices Must Ensure Patients See Lower Costs While Preserving Access to Essential LTC Pharmacy Services
The Senior Care Pharmacy Coalition (SCPC), the leading national voice for the long-term care (LTC) pharmacy community, released the following statement regarding President Trump’s May 12 Executive Order on prescription drug prices, urging the White House to also address the critical LTC Pharmacy Fix and protect seniors’ access to medications.
Stay in the Know
Get the latest news and updates on issues impacting the long-term pharmacy community.