A Case Study: Reducing Antibiotic Use for Acute Respiratory Infections
Virginia Mason Medical Center, an integrated system of health services that includes a multi-specialty group practice of more than 450 physicians, a 336-bed acute care hospital and a regional network of eight ambulatory sites in the Puget Sound region, is the second of seven exemplary implementation stories that Choosing Wisely plans to highlight monthly for the remainder of this year. These case studies explain the problem, recount the solutions, including core interventions, and outline the challenges and keys to success.
The Problem
After underperformance on the Washington Health Alliance (WHA) Community Checkup Report measure for acute bronchitis antibiotic prescriptions, Virginia Mason Medical Center clinical leaders implemented a Choosing Wisely® initiative to reduce antibiotic overuse.
The Solution
Virginia Mason utilized a multifaceted approach to reduce potentially inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions for viral respiratory infections. Applying the Kotter 8-Step Model for Change, leaders piloted an initiative through academic detailing with all institutional primary care providers in Virginia Mason’s network, tracking and benchmarking antibiotic prescription rates for acute respiratory infections through a data report.
Read about the keys to success in the full case study here.
READ MORE:
