By 1997, the tide was turning and the boom in health care companies was finished. The only exceptions were pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies whose stock rose by 51 percent. The decline in the value of health care stocks was due to several factors among them competition and cuts in Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement. Miller, Susan W. Appropriateness of Antibiotic Prescribing for Urinary Tract Infections in Long-Term Care Facilities. Controlling infections in a vulnerable long term care resident population is difficult.
Infections can contribute to functional decline, require hospitalization, and even result in death.
The prevalence of infections in the long term care setting ranges between five percent and 21 percent. Antibiotic use may lead to adverse drug reactions and can contribute to the development of antibiotic-resistant strains. This retrospective chart review was conducted to determine the appropriateness of antibiotic therapy for suspected urinary tract infections in long term care residents. The author concludes that antibiotic prescribing was inappropriate in around 40 percent of cases. The author suggests that attention should be paid to each individual case to preserve quality of life while maximizing the effectiveness of antibiotics and minimizing medication-related problems.