The Pharmacist's Guide to Antimicrobial Therapy and Stewardship

When a patient comes in with a suspected infectious disease, knowledge is power. Now this knowledge is simplified, comprehensive, and easy to find.

The Pharmacist's Guide to Antimicrobial Therapy and Stewardship puts all the necessary information in one place, including:

• Evaluating potentially infected patients
• Identifying the infection's suspected source and related organisms
• Comparing the range of anti-infectives
• Knowing the factors that impact treatment
• Developing an antimicrobial stewardship program

A step-wise approach walks logically from overall key concepts to disease- and drug-specific information. Disease states are summarized for easy reference. Tables make it easy to evaluate recommended treatment options.

Sarah M. Wieczorkiewicz, PharmD, BCPS (AQ-ID)

Sarah M. Wieczorkiewicz is a Clinical Infectious Diseases Pharmacist and Residency Program Director for the postgraduate year 1 (PGY1) pharmacy residency at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, IL. Dr. Wieczorkiewicz received her Doctor of Pharmacy from Midwestern University Chicago College of Pharmacy, followed by PGY1 pharmacy residency training at the Portland VA Medical Center in Portland, OR, and Postdoctoral Fellowship in infectious diseases pharmacotherapy at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Dr. Wieczorkiewicz is passionate about antimicrobial stewardship and has demonstrated this through her leadership and service in various local initiatives and professional pharmacy organizations. She has given various national presentations and authored peer-reviewed manuscripts in the area of infectious diseases. Her current research interests include antibiogram utilization and limitations, point-of-care diagnostics, health-system-based antimicrobial stewardship initiatives, and innovation in pharmacy education.

Carrie A. Sincak, PharmD, BCPS, FASHP

Carrie Sincak is Assistant Dean for Clinical Affairs and Professor of Pharmacy Practice at Midwestern University Chicago College of Pharmacy. Dr. Sincak graduated with her Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2000 and completed her pharmacy practice residency at the University of Michigan Medical Center in 2001. She has been on faculty with Midwestern University Chicago College of Pharmacy since 2001, where she served as Clinical Pharmacist in Internal Medicine at the North Chicago VA Medical Center and then later at Loyola University Medical Center. From 2008 until 2015, she served as Vice Chair in the Department of Pharmacy Practice and in March 2015, she became Assistant Dean for Clinical Affairs. 

Dr. Sincak has published casebook chapters, book chapters, and review articles in peer-reviewed publications. She has served as an appointed member of the ASHP Commission on Affiliate Relations and as an elected ASHP Illinois Delegate. She has served as President and member of numerous other committees for the Illinois Council of Health-System Pharmacists. Dr. Sincak is actively involved in the didactic and experiential training of pharmacy students and residents, and has won numerous teaching awards.

Doody’s Review Services, May 2016

[REVIEWER'S EXPERT OPINION] 

Patrick J. McDonnell, PharmD (Temple University School of Pharmacy)

Description

This book presents the fundamentals of infectious diseases and discusses how to assess patients to assure that the proper antimicrobial therapy is selected and monitored, all within the scope of a multidisciplinary antibiotic stewardship program.

Purpose

The purpose is to provide pharmacists, particularly those who have not specialized in infectious disease, the basics of assessment of patients with infections, as well as treatment plans, drug therapy monitoring, and how to be a part of a formal antibiotic stewardship program. This is especially important as this spring, the Infectious Diseases Society of America drafted new antibiotic stewardship guidelines that specifically name pharmacists as key members of these programs.

Audience

As the title states, the audience is pharmacists, but medical residents, medical students, nursing students, members of hospital infection control teams, and others could benefit as well. The authors specialize in infectious disease.

Features

The first of the book's five parts, an introduction to the evaluation of patients with potential infectious disease, is very well written. It includes handy flowcharts and clear explanations of differentiating infection from colonization or contamination, community acquired from hospital acquired infections, and other basics. Section two focuses on the suspected source of the infection and reviews common infections and the organisms that may cause them. Section three highlights drug specifics on the spectrum of these antimicrobials. Part four, which is critical, stresses the importance of patient specifics, from dosing to pharmacodynamics to pharmacokinetics, to name just a few. Part five focuses on the antibiotic stewardship team. For the size of this book, it's rather comprehensive.

Assessment

This book reviews the basic facets of infectious diseases as well as key pointers for initiating or maintaining an institution's antibiotic stewardship program from a pharmacist's perspective. There are few other books that provide similar information. The Sanford Guide to Antimicrobial Therapy, Gilbert (Antimicrobial Therapy, Incorporated), updated annually, contains much of the "bug-drug" information, but this book presents it in a more user friendly format. 
  

Weighted Numerical Score: 90 - 4 Stars!