ALBANY, N.Y. – September 15, 2015 – Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Assistant Professor Jo Carreno, Pharm.D., has received a $75,000 research grant from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Research and Education Foundation to explore a new programmatic approach for treating patients suffering from sepsis.
The Opportunity
Sepsis is a serious and potentially life threatening disease that is commonly caused by a bacterial infection in the bloodstream. Once bacteria is detected in a blood culture, it typically takes 2-3 days to identify the specific type of bacteria. That information is critical in determining how best to treat the patient. Advanced technologies now make it possible to identify the bacteria within one hour of a positive blood culture, thereby removing much of the guesswork from early treatment regimens.
The Challenge
The diagnostic technologies available for rapidly identifying bacteria can cost hospitals up to $250,000 and that does not include the around-the-clock staffing requirements associated with managing the process and interpreting the findings. As a result, most acute care hospitals have found the implementation of these systems to be cost prohibitive and/or staffing constraints are forcing them to use the technology in a less than optimal way. The absence of this technology – or the inefficient use of it – has the potential to negatively impact patient care.
The Study
Dr. Carreno believes a system in which pharmacists review blood cultures twice per day (8am and 2pm) can achieve the same or better results as the current around-the-clock staffing model. Here’s why:
Most antibiotics are active in the body for 8-12 hours, so even if a better therapeutic treatment is identified by the pharmacist, it can’t be implemented until after the current medication has run its course. For those patients not currently on antibiotics but who need to start them, there is typically a 24-hour window in which treatment needs to begin, which makes the twice daily interval more than adequate.
The expectation is that streamlining the process for interpreting blood culture results will better ensure that each patient receives the right antibiotic at the right time. And by demonstrating the money that can be saved through reduced staffing costs, the hope is that more hospitals will be encouraged to purchase and implement these technologies in the future.
Quote from Dr. Carreno
“There are a variety of choices for antibiotics depending on the type of bacteria you are treating. The combination of new technologies for processing blood cultures and a standardized program for disseminating the results will help shorten the time between selecting a good antibiotic and selecting the best antibiotic for an individual patient.”
About Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Founded in 1881, Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences is a private, independent institution with a long tradition of academic and research excellence. The College is committed to educating the next generation of leaders in the health care professions and translating scientific discoveries into therapies that benefit humankind. In addition to its doctor of pharmacy program, ACPHS offers six bachelor’s programs and five graduate programs in the health sciences. The College’s main campus is located in Albany, New York; its satellite campus is in Colchester, Vermont.