Attachment I-Information Sheet

Attachment I: Information sheet

Prescribing Medicines for Infections: A study

X nursing home has the opportunity to participate in an important study about prescribing antibiotics.

What is this study about?

The overall goal of this study is to help physicians or other clinicians decide when it is most useful to prescribe antibiotics to nursing home residents.

Nursing home residents are likely to have high rates of infections and in many cases, dangerous drug-resistant infections. Hoping to protect residents from dangerous drug-resistant infections, experts in nursing home care, aging, and infections developed advice about medicine use for four infections common among nursing home residents. These infections include urinary tract infections, respiratory infections, and skin infections.

Who is doing this study?

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are funding this study. TMF Health Quality Institute (TMF), Texas A&M University’s School of Rural Public Health (SRPH), and the American Institutes for Research (AIR) are conducting this research.

What does this study involve?

Each nursing home will use a form to collect important information about an infection. This form will be given to the doctors to help them choose whether an antibiotic should be ordered. Every month for the next three months, trained staff from TMF will gather data from medical records of residents with infections. SRPH and AIR will look to see if using the communication form helps doctors make good decisions. They will also look to see if residents have better health.

How does this study involve you or your family member?

TMF staff will look at medical records of residents with infections.

How will my information be kept safe?

TMF will not collect residents’ names. All resident information will be kept safe and confidential. Only trained project staff who have signed confidentiality agreements will be able to see the information.

What are the benefits and risks of this study to the resident?

There are no direct benefits or risks of this study to the resident. Hopefully, though, this project may lead to better antibiotic use and better health outcomes for residents in general. This may also lead to better communication between nursing homes and doctors.

Who can I contact if I want more information?

You can talk to your administrator or Kevin Warren of TMF at 1-800-725-9216.