Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center Receives the IDSA Antimicrobial Stewardship Centers of Excellence Designation

Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center has been awarded the designation of Antimicrobial Stewardship Center of Excellence by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. The designated hospitals have created stewardship programs led by ID-trained physicians and pharmacists that advance science in Antimicrobial Resistance and have achieved standards aligned with evidence-based national guidelines such as the IDSA-SHEA guidelines and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Core Elements. Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center is one of 101 programs nationwide to have received the designation since the program’s launch in 2017.

“While the world’s attention is rightfully focused on fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, drug resistant infections continue. One of IDSA’s top priorities is fighting antimicrobial resistance through research, education, training and policy initiatives. Our Centers of Excellence program honors institutions that have demonstrated leadership in that fight. Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center and each of the CoE designees serve a critical role in ensuring that we protect the tools we have against resistant infections, setting a high standard for others to follow,” said IDSA President Thomas M. File, Jr., M.D., FIDSA.

The core criteria for the CoE program place emphasis on an institution’s ability to implement stewardship protocols by integrating best practices to slow the emergence of resistance, optimize the treatment of infections, and reduce adverse events associated with antibiotic use and other challenging areas related to antimicrobial stewardship. A panel of IDSA member experts in antimicrobial stewardship, including ID-trained physicians and ID-trained pharmacists, evaluate CoE applications against high-level criteria established for determining merit, developed by IDSA leadership.

“The Antimicrobial Stewardship Program at Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center has been working diligently to streamline appropriate antibiotic use to combat the growing epidemic of antimicrobial resistance. The strong stewardship program at Good Samaritan promotes appropriate use of antibiotics to promote infection cure rates while decreasing rates of treatment failures, antibiotic related adverse effects, c difficile infections and prolonged hospital stay,” said Dr. Syed, Director of Antimicrobial Stewardship Center of Excellence at Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center.

The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) represents over 12,000 physicians, scientists and other health care professionals who specialize in infectious diseases. IDSA’s purpose is to improve the health of individuals, communities, and society by promoting excellence in patient care, education, research, public health and prevention relating to infectious diseases. www.idsociety.org