EASIL is an Emory University Initiative supported by Emory Healthcare and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Civil Money Penalty Reinvestment Program (CMPRP) to assist nursing homes and other long-term care facilities to develop robust antibiotic stewardship programs.
What is antibiotic stewardship?
Across most types of healthcare settings, antibiotic stewardship refers to a set of protocols and guidelines that help to mitigate the adverse consequences of the use, and sometimes overuse, of antibiotics. These adverse consequences include:
- Emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria
- Environmental contamination from excretory byproducts of antibiotic use
Long-term care facilities face unique infection control challenge due to their vulnerable population, revolving visitors and staff, and the high-contact congregate living environment. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provide national guidance for infection prevention practices in long-term care facilities, and these guidelines now require the development of institutional antibiotic stewardship programs.
Bridging the Gap
EASIL is a program developed to help long-term care facilities strengthen antibiotic stewardship programs, to learn from that process, and from that, create accessible tools and strategies for any long-term care facility to establish/improve their own stewardship program.
Highlights
Watch the 10-minute EASIL-developed training for improving antibiotic prescribing for lower respiratory infections in nursing homes and long-term care facilities.
Research and Mentoring
Culture of Collaboration
EASIL collaborates with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Emory Healthcare, and many other institutions throughout the United States. Learn more about the work of their collaborators, and access additional resources to become more involved in the important work of reducing antibiotic resistance in long-term care facilities.