The Impact of mecA Gene Testing and Infectious Diseases Pharmacists' Intervention on the Time to Optimal Antimicrobial Therapy for Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia at a University Hospital

Clinical Pharmacist in Infectious Diseases and Associate Professor, University of Michigan Health System and College of Pharmacy; Specialty Resident in Infectious Diseases and Clinical Instructor, University of Michigan Health System and College of Pharmacy, Departments of Pharmacy Services and Clinical Sciences, University of Michigan Health System; Pharmacist and Lecturer, National Taiwan University Hospital and Graduate Institute of Clinical Pharmacy; Clinical Pharmacist in Infectious Diseases and Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Michigan Health System and College of Pharmacy; Director, Clinical Microbiology Laboratories and Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Health System and Medical School

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: peg{at}umich.edu.

	Abstract

In patients with Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia, Infectious Diseases pharmacist intervention based on the results of mecA tests resulted in a a 25.4 hour reduction in the time to optimal antimicrobial therapy, from 64.7 ± 36.8 to 39.3 ± 15.5 hours (p = 0.002), which may result in decreased mortality.