Accreditation

Accreditation Information

When What We Do Is Not Enough to Treat Infections:
How and Why to Utilize Procalcitonin

How and Why to Utilize Procalcitonin in the Midst of COVID-19

TARGET AUDIENCE

This activity has been designed to meet the educational needs of physicians and other healthcare professionals, working in the care and treatment of patients with COVID-19 and other bacterial infections.

EDUCATIONAL GOAL

The goal of this activity is to improve clinicians’ knowledge of the role of Procalcitonin biomarker assays in directing appropriate management of patients with COVID-19 with or without secondary bacterial infections.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

  • List the current biomarkers used in the management of bacterial infection.
  • Describe the pathophysiology and kinetics of procalcitonin.
  • Describe how procalcitonin can aid in severity assessment and evaluation of anti-infective therapy choices.
  • Explain the role of procalcitonin in the context of Antibiotic Stewardship.
  • Recognize clinical and health economic outcomes of PCT guided therapy.

Biomarker Technology in Antimicrobial Stewardship:
The Role of Procalcitonin

TARGET AUDIENCE

This activity has been designed to meet the educational needs of physicians and other healthcare professionals working in the care and treatment of patients with bacterial infections and the use and value of Procalcitonin assay values.

EDUCATIONAL GOAL

The goal of this activity is to provide practitioners with practical guidance on the utilization of PCT in the management of suspected bacterial infections and its improvement on antimicrobial stewardship.  Appropriate utilization of PCT biomarker assays have proven to be of value in reducing unnecessary antimicrobial therapy.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

  • Explain why obtaining procalcitonin (PCT) levels early in the disease process aids in the continuum of care.
  • List the best times to obtain measurements to evaluate effectiveness of antibiotic therapy, based upon when PCT plasma levels peak, and its elimination half-life.
  • Describe how monitoring PCT may result in reducing the number of days on antibiotic therapy and the subsequent reduction in C. difficile infections.
  • Identify treatment decisions involving antibiotics more effectively by incorporating PCT biomarker technology.
  • Explain the use of PCT assays to differentiate sterile from non-sterile inflammation



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