Antimicrobials are the most widely prescribed therapeutic agents, yet as much as 50 percent of hospital antibiotic use may be unnecessary. Numerous reports suggest that inappropriate and unnecessary antibiotic use leads to increased selection of resistant pathogens resulting in increased morbidity, mortality and cost of health care. Prior antibiotic drug exposure is a strong risk factor for colonization and infection due to drug-resistant bacteria. Control of antibiotic use may be one of the few modifiable risk factors for acquisition of resistant bacteria.
What are our program goals?
The goals of antimicrobial stewardship are to improve patient care, outcomes and safety by optimizing antibiotic selection, dosing, route and duration. We also strive to decrease the unintended consequences of toxicity, adverse drug events, the selection of pathogenic organisms, the emergence of resistance and cost related to antibiotic use.
Meet our team
- Sandra Arnold, MD -Sandra Arnold, MD, is a medical co-director of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Service and the division chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases. She is also an associate professor at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and an associate program director of the pediatric residency program .
- Bindiya Bagga, MD -Bindiya Bagga, MD, is the medical co-director of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Service and an assistant Professor at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. She is also an associate program director of the pediatric residency program.
- Kelley Lee, Pharm.D., BCPS -Kelley Lee, Pharm.D., BCPS, is co-director of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Service and a clinical pharmacy specialist in antimicrobial stewardship. She is also a professor in the Department of Clinical Pharmacy at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center
- Chasity Shelton, Pharm.D., BCPS, BCNSP -Chasity Shelton, PharmD, BCPS, BCNSP, is a clinical pharmacy specialist in antimicrobial stewardship and an assistant professor in the Department of Clinical Pharmacy at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.
- Rebecca Chhim, Pharm.D., BCPS - Rebecca Chhim, PharmD, BCPS, is a clinical pharmacy specialist in antimicrobial stewardship and an assistant professor in the Department of Clinical Pharmacy at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.
For any questions regarding antimicrobial stewardship or our program please contact Kelley Lee, PharmD, at 901-287-5969 or kelley.lee@lebonheur.org.
Our guidelines
Our guidelines were developed in collaboration with our specialists and are based on current literature reviews, including national guidelines and the current Le Bonheur antibiogram *. Print versions of the Le Bonheur guidelines are available to hospital staff. Any departures from the guidelines are based on the clinical judgment of care providers. We have developed guidelines for the following: PICU, NICU, CVICU, community-acquired pneumonia, linezolid, cystic fibrosis and surgical prophylaxis.
*Note: Restricted Access
National guidelines
- Acute Bacterial Rhinosinusitis
- Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus
- Antimicrobial Prophylaxis in Surgery
- Community-Acquired Pneumonia in Infants and Children Older Than 3 Months of Age
- Intra-abdominal Infection
- Skin and Soft Tissue Infections
- Streptococcal Pharyngitis
- Intravascular Catheter-Related Infection
- The Diagnosis and Management of Acute Otitis Media
- Urinary Tract Infection: Clinical Practice Guideline for the Diagnosis and Management of the Initial UTI in Febrile Infants and Children 2 to 24 Months
- Therapeutic Monitoring of Vancomycin in Adult Patients
