Tim Gauthier PharmD, BCPS, BCIDP, began his career in academia, and although he has transitioned to working in a health system he has never left behind his passion about education around pathogens, antibiotics, and stewardship. He has 2 websites, ID Stewardship and Learn Antibiotics, on these topics and it has really allowed him to continue communicating and educating people globally on these infectious disease subjects.
“I love this stuff so much, genuinely. I have a website called ID Stewardship, and many people are familiar with my work and my reach through that avenue where it’s been just super cool to connect with people from all over the world and help people learn about antibiotics,” Gauthier said.
This website has reached millions of people since he first launched it in 2016, and he says it has allowed him to talk about his experiences in the field.
“It’s really geared towards practical, real-life experience, and suggestions about how to go about navigating something. It could be anything in the field of clinical pharmacy or infectious diseases, antimicrobial stewardship, or pharmacy education. And the goal really is to provide quick information that is useful and practical for the reader,” Gautier explained.
He reminds people that everyone learns differently and having resources such as websites can be helpful for young learners as they begin to digest the voluminous amounts of educational materials they need to commit to memory.
Navigating Social Media Today
For years, Gauthier has been communicating with the masses through social media, especially using Twitter/X and built a large audience through it. “I think it’s been pretty neat to provide education in that forum too,” Gauthier said.
He sees the changes in social media today and as many people in the infectious disease community have steered away from the Twitter/X platform, Gauthier still uses it and acknowledges how it has evolved.
“I’ve been a content creator for infectious diseases education material for almost a decade, and it just changes,” Gauthier said. “So, Instagram becomes more popular as Facebook pages become less popular, or TikTok gains traction, and then TikTok loses traction. It’s always changing and it’s always evolving. You always have to— in my mind at least—go back to why am I here? What is my purpose? What am I doing? And if what you’re engaging in aligns with what your purpose is, then you’re probably fine…I don’t feel great about X. I go on my profile and I just see content that I’m not interested in. It’s super toxic, and I don’t feel good about being part of that community right now. I’m keeping an eye on it and trying to maybe have a voice to some degree, because if we don’t have a voice, someone will be happy to speak for us.”
He also mentions the importance of staying professional on these platforms, and he values the importance of taking the time to reach out whether it is remotely through digital means or connecting in person with professionals in the infectious disease field or other fields at institutions including the lab.
“Respect for all individuals is something that we need to keep front of mind as we go through these very turbulent times and consider using social media or not,” Gauthier said. “That’s one of my biggest things…as I’m looking around, the other thing is, we can get a lot of happiness out of working together. I really do believe that, and we should not hesitate to reach out and make connections with each other. If you haven’t talked to your ID pharmacist, or if you haven’t spoken to your microbiology lab folks, just go visit them.”
Concerns Around Multidrug Resistance
Although Gauthier is excited to see some new antibiotics get FDA approved, he does acknowledge they will not likely replace the older, more established “workhorse” antibiotics. Resistance is always a concern and he is seeing extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL) E coli, where he lives. Nonetheless, he sees a stewardship opportunity in these situations that combines shorter courses of antibiotics with help from the laboratory.
“When we look at the latest CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] report that they had put out, ESBLs are on the upward trend. And, locally in the Miami area, many of the hospitals here have considerable rates of ESBL E coli,” he explained. “And you know what comes next? You probably use more carbapenems. Okay, use more carbapenems. What happens? You get more carbapenem resistance. That is the major issue right now that I’m seeing. I think people need to be aware of managing asymptomatic bacteria appropriately, picking shorter courses of antibiotics, and when reasonable, deescalating and narrowing within 48 to 72 hours, utilizing and leveraging the data that’s coming out of the lab to make those decisions faster and smarter.”
With regards to Candida auris, and much like other areas, Gauthier is seeing this mostly in long-term care patients with chronic conditions and comorbidities.
“There’s definitely more patients with bloodstream infections with Candida auris than I would have liked to have seen in my life. And of course, the drug resistance that comes with C auris is particularly concerning,” he said. “Although I would say that hospitals that have highly complex patients that have histories of solid organ transplant, for example, or many days and months in the ICU are probably going to be battling this much more.”
Disclaimer: “The views and opinions expressed represent those of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policy of any previous, current, or potential future employer.”
