Choosing Wisely- Infection Prevention

Source: http://www.choosingwisely.org/

Recently the SHEA Guideline Committee was approached by the The American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation Choosing Wisely initiative. The Choosing Wisely initiative aims to provide concise, evidence based recommendations to minimize unnecessary tests, procedures and treatments. The SHEA Guidelines Committee is tasked to define important, evidence based infection prevention action items.

Choosing Wisely recommendations by our colleagues in the Infectious Diseases Society of America include:

• Don't use antibiotics for the treatment of stasis dermatitis of the lower extremities
• Don't treat asymptomatic bacteriuria with antibiotics

These are just a few examples.

We hope to define some important Choosing Wisely comments for infection prevention. Perhaps one to consider should be: Don't examine patients without performing hand hygiene or something of that ilk.

Stay tuned.