The Value of Having Trending and Retrospective Data at GoLive
A key feature to consider when evaluating clinical surveillance solutions for hospitals is the immediate availability of retrospective (historical) data at the time of GoLive. We recently spoke about this with Dr. Russell Ryono, who has over 30 years of experience as an infection preventionist and pharmacist at the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and who now oversees Bitscopic’s team of clinical subject matter experts.
What are some use cases for having retrospective data (even going back years) available at GoLive?
Retrospective data provides users with the immediate ability to:
- Trend healthcare acquired infection rates, antimicrobial usage rates, and multidrug resistant organisms
- Quickly identify eligible patients for Medication Use Evaluations of selected drugs
- Perform lookback investigations related to contaminated drug products, reusable medical equipment, or other supplies. Lookback investigations, in particular, may require facilities to assess risk to patients who underwent a certain procedure in which specific medical equipment was used going back 2-3 years or more.
What is the minimum amount of historical data (time) necessary to have reliable trending information?
I would say 1-2 years. This will provide the ability to integrate software use into current process and workflow (e.g., running 12-month rate charts for healthcare-acquired infections will be immediately available). It will also provide a body of data that can prove useful to address new investigations should they arise.
Which trends are most important to track for Antimicrobial Stewardship?
- Antimicrobial usage (in- and outpatient)
- Interventions (e.g., intervention/prescribing error types, cost impact)
- Antimicrobial resistance
Which trends are most important to track for Infection Prevention/Control?
Healthcare Acquired Infections (HAI) rates, including device-associated bloodstream infections, urinary tract infections, and Clostridium difficile.