Poster Number: EI 63 - Inappropriate Diagnosis and Antibiotic Use in a Geriatric Psychiatry Unit; Opportunities for Antibiotic Stewardship

Abstract

Introduction: Antibiotics are commonly used in older adults, especially in inpatient settings. CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) reports 20–50% of antibiotic use is unnecessary or inappropriate in acute care hospitals in the United States. Diagnosing infections in older adults can be challenging, as classic signs of infection such as leukocytosis and fever may be absent and non-specific symptoms such as weight loss, anorexia, change in mental status and functional decline may be the only manifestations. Clinical assessment is more challenging in patients with significant cognitive deficits and in presence of delirium. However, lack of data regarding the prevalence of and treatment for infections in acute geriatric psychiatric units (GPU) motivated us to initiate this project.