Technology, Care Coordination, and Community Resources Considerations – Antibiotic Resistance

Technology, Care Coordination, and Community Resources Considerations – Antibiotic Resistance

Antibiotic resistance continues to threaten global life expectancy and progress in healthcare. Healthcare systems across the globe have been steadfast in putting down measures to curtail the effects of this health issue. Many healthcare systems are tending towards innovative approaches to maintain their collective responsibility towards antimicrobial stewardship. Technology in healthcare is constantly being explored to improve care operationalizations and mitigate the effects of antibiotic resistance. Innovative approaches such as coordinative paradigms and prudent use of community resources are also being used to promote patient-centered care and lessen antibiotic resistance’s impact on communities. This article highlights technology, care coordination, and community resource considerations for antibiotic resistance.

The Impact of Health Care Technology on Antibiotic Resistance

Healthcare technologies have redefined specific aspects of care operationalization and laid the groundwork for quality improvements. Medical technologies have played a role in efforts to combat antibiotic resistance. Their impact in lessening antibiotic resistance has been evident on several fronts. To begin with, sophistication in surgical technologies has considerably lowered the development and spread of antibiotic resistance. These technologies minimize patients’ exposure to environmental pathogens, thereby preventing them from getting hospital-acquired infections. Colson et al. (2021) report that rapid point-of-care resistance diagnostics is integral to the fight against antibiotic resistance as it tailors the selection of antibiotics and eliminates the radical approach to antibiotic management implicated in developing resistance. These technologies thus maintain relevance in infectious disease management and should thus be implemented across care settings.

Despite their wide approval across global healthcare systems and their effectiveness in tailoring antibiotic use, diagnostic technologies have disadvantages. Rapid diagnostic tests escalate administrative healthcare costs in the short term. Hurtado et al. (2022) report that including bacterial susceptibility tests in healthcare is an added step in the treatment-seeking process that has both time and cost implications. The issue of lower sensitivity and false negatives is also common when rapid diagnostic technologies are used at the point of care. This provides a reason for further enhancements to these technologies.

Findings from the literature reveal the effectiveness of diagnostic technologies in tailoring the use of antibiotics and their impact on antibiotic resistance. These findings align with the provisions of nursing on antibiotic stewardship. The prudent use of antibiotics is only guaranteed when the right antibiotic is used against susceptible bacteria. Nurses, in this regard, should advocate for susceptibility pattern testing to promote the rational use of antibiotics.

Several barriers have been reported to limit the use of medical technologies in the fight against antibiotic resistance. Wurcel et al. (2019) postulate that the desire to use these technologies has been limited in part by the lack of technological know-how required for the effective use of these technologies. This is particularly a concern in developing countries. Furthermore, the cost implications of acquiring and implementing these technologies make them out of reach for some healthcare systems. Pérez-López & Mir (2021) add that the effectiveness of diagnostic technologies in tailoring infectious disease management and the subsequent commercialization of these diagnostic tools has resulted in a race between developers to have their products validated first. While this may be good for the healthcare systems, it has created a loophole in which substandard diagnostic tools enter the healthcare market. These limitations highlight the need for continued surveillance of antibiotic use.

How Care Coordination and the Utilization of Community Resources Can Be Used to Address Antibiotic Resistance

Care coordination is integral to all antibiotic stewardship programs across healthcare settings. It remains an innovative approach that draws healthcare professionals from different healthcare fields. The utility of this approach in antibiotic stewardship programs stems from recognizing the role of diverse healthcare professionals in infectious disease management. It also affirms the organization’s commitment to information sharing, a core antibiotic stewardship component. Care coordination in healthcare utilizes collaborative paradigms. Significant in this approach is the ability of healthcare providers drawn by this approach to embrace the fundamental principles of healthcare collaborations such as teamwork and team spirit, respect for self and others, accountability, role definition, interdependence, and effective communication. These strategies foster good therapeutic relationships between healthcare professionals and their patients and create an environment that encourages peer consultations. This necessitates the integration of this approach into antibiotic stewardship.

The utility of coordinative care utilizing collaborative paradigms has been lauded for its effectiveness in lessening the impact of antibiotic resistance. Mendelson et al. (2020) assert that care coordination is vital in antibiotic stewardship. Coordinative care provides a framework for patient monitoring, educating patients on the judicious use of antibiotics, and facilitating sound prescribing. Patient education is particularly beneficial in this regard. By informing patients about the harmful effects of misusing antibiotics and antibiotic resistance, caregivers can guarantee better accountability among communities. This reinforces the need for care coordination in the fight against antibiotic resistance.

Several community resources exist that provide information on antibiotic resistance. These resources remain valuable in lessening the health impacts of antibiotic resistance and affirm the commitment to educating communities on antibiotic stewardship. The CDC and the WHO are globally recognized bodies that report on antibiotic resistance. These organizations detail antimicrobial resistance patterns identified in all areas of the globe. Yau et al. (2021) report that the strategic information provided by the CDC and the WHO regarding resistance patterns has enabled care organizations to plan and avert the harmful effects of antibiotic resistance. Information obtained from these sources can inform the appropriate selection of antibiotics and the need for the prudent use of antibiotics. Through these resources, care organizations can design their localized essential lists and organizational policies that promote the rightful use of these medications. These resources are thus critical in the fight against antibiotic resistance.

The evidence obtained from the literature points to the significance of various community resources, such as the CDC and coordinative paradigms, in lessening the impact of antibiotic resistance. These provisions reinforce the need for information sharing on rational antibiotic use to lessen the impact of antibiotic resistance on communities. They also highlight the collectivistic approach in dealing with antibiotic resistance, as many stakeholders are drawn into this fight. Nursing education and practice highlight care coordination using collaborative approaches as a critical component of patient management. It emphasizes nursing roles in these approaches and accords nurses’ skills to effectively engage and interact with other healthcare professionals and how they can use these skills to maintain better accountability and promote the judicious use of antibiotics. In the presence of community resources, nurses’ roles in the multidisciplinary field are enhanced as they can leverage wider resources to educate their patients on the rational use of antibiotics.

The use of coordinative approaches and community resources in the fight against antibiotic resistance has sometimes met several barriers. Poor relationships between multidisciplinary team members, lack of effective organizational leadership, technological barriers, and unwillingness by some organizational members to utilize this approach may impede its effectiveness in lessening the harmful effects of antibiotic resistance. Team leadership, for instance, is a major determinant of effective care coordination. Leadership inspires organizational members to embrace innovative approaches in healthcare. Without good leaders, care processes are likely to fragment, resulting in an unsynchronized approach to antibiotic stewardship.

State Board Nursing Practice Standards and Policies Associated with Health Care Technology, Care Coordination, and Community Resources

The State Board of Nursing defines the standard of safe nursing practice and the scope of nursing practice. Nursing standards of practice emphasize nurses’ professional responsibility and accountability, ethical practice, and client-focused provision of care services. In this regard, I am implored, as a nurse, to utilize my nursing knowledge to impact communities positively and promote their health. Nursing standards encourage effective healthcare technologies, innovative healthcare approaches such as care coordination, and valuable community resources to bring positive changes to their communities. As a nurse, this will enhance my accountability and responsibility toward lessening antibiotic resistance and ensuring communities’ well-being. The overall impact will be evident in reduced hospitalization, better quality health characterized by effective antibiotic use, and reduced overall cost of care.

Federal policies encouraging healthcare innovations and technologies also maintain significance in this regard. These policies will define nursing practice by encouraging the use of meaningful technologies during care provisions. Policy such as the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) act exemplifies these legislative provisions. This act promotes the implementation of meaningful technologies in healthcare. It ushers in technologies that enhance care efficiency, such as the EHR, that will ultimately improve the quality of care provision and result in considerable reductions in the cost of healthcare. Nurses play a vital role in implementing such policies. They are also able to influence policy-making processes and ensure policies are made that promote antibiotic stewardship across all care settings.

Ethicality in nursing practice is another enabler of optimized clinical outcomes. Ethical nursing practice can guarantee better nurses’ accountability in applying technologies and coordinated approaches, and the judicious use of antibiotics is valuable in the fight against antibiotic resistance. This stems from the ethical principles of beneficence and non-maleficence that require nurses to promote the welfare of their patients and do no harm to them. These provisions implore nurses to implement nursing interventions such as patient education to promote the prudent use of antibiotics, prescribe antibiotics judiciously, and work with other caregivers towards ensuring the rational use of antibiotics.

Conclusion

As antibiotic resistance continues to threaten global healthcare systems, nurses leverage community resources, technology use, and coordinated approaches in the fight against antibiotic resistance. Technologies such as rapid diagnostics maintain effectiveness in tailoring the use of antibiotics in infectious disease management. Coordinative approaches also play a role in lessening the health impact of antibiotic resistance. Community resources such as the CDC are also important sources of information on antibiotic resistance. This warrants their use in antibiotic stewardship. It is, therefore, imperative that nurses maintain knowledge of these innovations as well as policies that promote their use for them to be able to create communities that use antibiotics prudently.

References

Colson, A. R., Morton, A., Årdal, C., Chalkidou, K., Davies, S. C., Garrison, L. P., Jit, M., Laxminarayan, R., Megiddo, I., Morel, C., Nonvignon, J., Outterson, K., Rex, J. H., Sarker, A. R., Sculpher, M., Woods, B., & Xiao, Y. (2021). Antimicrobial resistance: Is Health Technology Assessment part of the solution or part of the problem? Value in Health, 24(12), 1828–1834. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jval.2021.06.002 

Hurtado, A. V., Nguyen, H. T., Schenkel, V., Wachinger, J., Seybold, J., Denkinger, C. M., & De Allegri, M. (2022). The economic cost of implementing antigen-based rapid diagnostic tests for COVID-19 screening in high-risk transmission settings: Evidence from Germany. Health Economics Review, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13561-022-00361-3

Mendelson, M., Morris, A. M., Thursky, K., & Pulcini, C. (2020). How to start an antimicrobial stewardship program in a Hospital. Clinical Microbiology and Infection, 26(4), 447–453. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmi.2019.08.007

Pérez-López, B., & Mir, M. (2021). Commercialized diagnostic technologies to combat SARS-COV2: Advantages and disadvantages. Talanta, 225, 121898. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.talanta.2020.121898

Wurcel, V., Cicchetti, A., Garrison, L., Kip, M. M. A., Koffijberg, H., Kolbe, A., Leeflang, M. M. G., Merlin, T., Mestre-Ferrandiz, J., Oortwijn, W., Oosterwijk, C., Tunis, S., & Zamora, B. (2019). The value of diagnostic information in personalized healthcare: A comprehensive concept to facilitate bringing this technology into healthcare systems. Public Health Genomics, 22(1-2), 8–15. https://doi.org/10.1159/000501832

Yau, J. W., Thor, S. M., Tsai, D., Speare, T., & Rissel, C. (2021). Antimicrobial stewardship in rural and Remote Primary Health Care: A narrative review. Antimicrobial Resistance &Infection Control, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13756-021-00964-1.

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In a 5-7 page written assessment, determine how healthcare technology, coordination of care, and community resources can be applied to address the patient, family, or population problem you’ve defined. In addition, plan to spend approximately 2 direct practicum hours exploring these aspects of the problem with the patient, family, or group you’ve chosen to work with and, if desired, consulting with the subject matter and industry experts. Document the time spent (your practicum hours) with these individuals or groups in the Capella Academic Portal Volunteer Experience Form. Report on your experiences during the second 2 hours of your practicum.

Technology, Care Coordination, and Community Resources Considerations – Antibiotic Resistance

Introduction
As a baccalaureate-prepared nurse, you’ll be positioned to maximize the use of technology to achieve positive patient outcomes and improve organizational effectiveness. Providing holistic coordination of patient care across the entire healthcare continuum and leveraging community resource services can lead to both positive patient outcomes and organizational improvements.

Preparation
In this assessment, you’ll determine how healthcare technology, coordination of care, and community resources can be applied to address the health problem you’ve defined. Plan to spend at least 2 direct practicum hours working with the same patient, family, or group. You may also consult with subject matter and industry experts during this time.

To prepare for the assessment:

Review the assessment instructions and scoring guide to ensure you understand the work you will be asked to complete and how it will be assessed.
Conduct sufficient scholarly and professional literature research to inform your assessment and meet scholarly expectations for supporting evidence.
Review the Practicum Focus Sheet: Assessment 3 [PDF], which guides conducting this portion of your practicum.
Note: As you revise your writing, check out the resources on the Writing Center’s Writing Support page.

Instructions
Complete this assessment in two parts.

Part 1
Determine how healthcare technology, the coordination of care, and community resources can be applied to address the patient, family, or population problem you’ve defined. Plan to spend at least 2 practicum hours exploring these aspects of the problem with the patient, family, or group. During this time, you may also consult with subject matter and industry experts of your choice. Document the time spent (your practicum hours) with these individuals or groups in the Capella Academic Portal Volunteer Experience Form. Use the Practicum Focus Sheet: Assessment 3 [PDF] provided for this assessment to guide your work and interpersonal interactions.

Part 2
Report on your experiences during the second 2 hours of your practicum.

Who did you meet with?
What did you learn from them?
Comment on the evidence-based practice (EBP) documents or websites you reviewed.
What did you learn from that review?
Share the process and experience of exploring the effect of the problem on the quality of care, patient safety, and costs to the system and individual.
Did your plan to address the problem change based on your experiences?
What surprised you or was particularly interesting to you, and why?
Capella Academic Portal
Update the total number of hours on the NURS-FPX4900 Volunteer Experience Form in the Capella Academic Portal.

The BSN Capstone Course (NURS-FPX4900 ) requires completing and documenting nine (9) practicum hours. All hours must be recorded in the Capella Academic Portal. Please review the BSN Practicum Campus page for more information and instructions on how to log your hours.

Requirements
The assessment requirements below correspond to the scoring guide criteria, so address each main point. Read the performance-level descriptions for each criterion to see how your work will be assessed. In addition, note the additional requirements for document format, length, and supporting evidence.

Analyze the impact of healthcare technology on the patient, family, or population problem.
Cite evidence from the literature that addresses the advantages and disadvantages of specific technologies, including research studies that present opposing views.
Determine whether the evidence is consistent with the technology use you see in your nursing practice.
Identify potential barriers and costs associated with using specific technologies and how those technologies are applied within the context of this problem.
Explain how care coordination and the utilization of community resources can be used to address the patient, family, or population problem.
Cite evidence from the literature that addresses the benefits of care coordination and the utilization of community resources, including research studies that present opposing views.
Determine whether the evidence is consistent with how you see care coordination and community resources used in your nursing practice.
Identify barriers to the use of care coordination and community resources in the context of this problem.
Analyze state board nursing practice standards and/or organizational or governmental policies associated with health care technology, care coordination, and community resources. Document the practicum hours spent with these individuals or groups in the Capella Academic Portal Volunteer Experience Form.
Explain how these standards or policies will guide your actions in applying technology, care coordination, and community resources to address care quality, patient safety, and costs to the system and individual.
Describe the effects of local, state, and federal policies or legislation on your nursing scope of practice within the context of technology, care coordination, and community resources.
Explain how nursing ethics will inform your approach to addressing the problem through applied technology, care coordination, and community resources.
Document the time spent (your practicum hours) with these individuals or groups in the Capella Academic Portal Volunteer Experience Form.
Support main points, assertions, arguments, conclusions, or recommendations with relevant and credible evidence.