Antibiotic optimization. An evaluation of patient safety and economic outcomes

Antimicrobial Resistance in Nosocomial Isolates of Gram-Negative Bacteria: Public Health Implications in the Latvian Context

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the most serious threats in modern medicine which requires the constant monitoring of emerging trends amongst clinical isolates. However, very limited surveillance data is available in the Latvian context. In the present study, we conducted a retrospective analysis of microbiological data from one of the largest public multispecialty hospitals in Latvia from 2017 to 2020. AMR trends for 19 gram-negative bacterial (GNB) genera were investigated. During the study period, 11,437 isolates were analyzed with Escherichia spp. (34.71%), Klebsiella spp. (19.22%) and Acinetobacter spp. (10.05%) being the most isolated. Carbapenems like Meropenem and Ertapenem were the most effective against GNBs (3% and 5.4% resistance rates, respectively) while high resistance rates (>50%) were noted against both Ampicillin and Amoxicillin/Clavulanic acid. Enterobacter spp. and Klebsiella spp. showed a significant increase in resistance rate against Ertapenem (p = 0.000) and Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole (p = 0.000), respectively. A decrease in the prevalence of Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase positive (ESBL+) Enterobacterales was noted. Despite the lower prescription levels of the penicillin group antimicrobials than the European average (as reported in ESAC-Net Surveillance reports), GNBs showed high average resistant rates, indicating the role of ESBL+ isolates in driving the resistance rates. Constant and careful vigilance along with proper infection control measures are required to track the emerging trends in AMR in GNBs.

Strategies to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections: A Narrative Overview

Healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) are a major source of morbidity and mortality and are the second most prevalent cause of death. Furthermore, it has been reported that for every one-hundred patients admitted to hospital, seven patients in high-income economies and ten in emerging and low-income economies acquire at least one type of HCAI. Currently, almost all pathogenic microorganisms have developed antimicrobial resistance, and few new antimicrobials are being developed and brought to market. The literature search for this narrative review was performed by searching bibliographic databases (including Google Scholar and PubMed) using the search terms: "Strategies," "Prevention," and "Healthcare-Associated Infections," followed by snowballing references cited by critical articles. We found that although hand hygiene is a centuries-old concept, it is still the primary strategy used around the world to prevent HCAIs. It forms one of a bundle of approaches used to clean and maintain a safe hospital environment and to stop the transmission of contagious and infectious microorganisms, including multidrug-resistant microbes. Finally, antibiotic stewardship also has a crucial role in reducing the impact of HCAIs through conserving currently available antimicrobials.

Clinical and economic outcomes of hospital pharmaceutical care: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Hospital clinical pharmacists have been working in many countries for many years and clinical pharmaceutical care have a positive effect on the recovery of patients. In order to evaluate the clinical effectiveness and economic outcomes of clinical pharmaceutical care, relevant clinical trial studies were reviewed and analysed.

METHODS

Two researchers searched literatures published from January 1992 to October 2019, and screened them by keywords like pharmaceutical care, pharmaceutical services, pharmacist interventions, outcomes, effects, impact, etc. Then, duplicate literatures were removed and the titles, abstracts and texts were read to screen literatures according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. Key data in the literature were extracted, and Meta-analysis was conducted using the literature with common outcome indicators.

RESULTS

A total of 3299 articles were retrieved, and 42 studies were finally included. Twelve of them were used for meta-analysis. Among the 42 studies included, the main results of pharmaceutical care showed positive effects, 36 experimental groups were significantly better than the control group, and the remaining 6 studies showed mixed or no effects. Meta-analysis showed that clinical pharmacists had significant effects on reducing systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure and shortening hospitalization days (P < 0.05), but no statistical significance in reducing medical costs (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Clinical pharmacists' pharmaceutical care has a significant positive effect on patients' clinical effects, but has no significant economic effect.

Economic Burden Of Inappropriate Empiric Antibiotic Therapy: A Report From Southern Iran

Introduction

Widespread inappropriate antibiotic prescribing by healthcare professionals in the hospital setting is a great concern that may cause many undesirable consequences. Adherences to antibiotic guidelines have proven to be a simple and effective intervention to guide the choice of appropriate empiric antibiotic regimens and reduce the unnecessary variations in the practice among practitioners. The objective of this study was to evaluate the prescription patterns of empiric antibiotic therapy in relation to treatment guidelines and the economic burden of discordance with guidelines in a major referral Iranian university hospital.

Method

Hospital records of hospitalized patients with empiric antibiotic prescription, from September 2016 to February 2017 were reviewed. The process consisted of comparing empiric antimicrobial administration with institutional guidelines for each patient by a clinical pharmacist and an infectious disease specialist to evaluate the appropriate utilization of antibiotics. Adherence to guideline, the cost of antibiotics usage for each patient and the excess cost consequent from discordance with guideline was calculated.

Results

The most inappropriate prescribed antibiotics were carbapenems and aminoglycosides. Overall guideline adherence was 27.8%. Frequency of antibiotic usage incompatibility with the guidelines on the basis of dosing interval, duration of therapy and drug indication were 31.46%, 29.44% and 19.36%, respectively. General surgery and internal medicine wards had the least and the most inappropriate antibiotic administration, respectively. Totally antibiotic usage cost was 578,959.39 USD (24,316,294,800 Iranian Rials, IRR) for 6 months, which the excess costs of inappropriate antibiotic prescribing, was 471,319.69 USD (19,795,427,225 IRR). The estimated annual excess cost is 942,639.38 USD (39,590,854,450 IRR).

Conclusion

In this research, physicians’ adherence with guidelines for empiric antibiotic therapy was low which was led to 471,319.69 USD excess costs. These results urge institution policy makers to develop guidelines to ensure active dissemination and implementation of them to decrease inappropriate antibiotic usage.

Exploring the nurses' role in antibiotic stewardship: A multisite qualitative study of nurses and infection preventionists

BACKGROUND

There is a growing recognition of the need to partner with nurses to promote effective antibiotic stewardship. In this study, we explored the attitudes of nurses and infection preventionists toward 5 nurse-driven antibiotic stewardship practices: 1) questioning the need for urine cultures; 2) ensuring proper culturing technique; 3) recording an accurate penicillin drug allergy history; 4) encouraging the prompt transition from intravenous (IV) to oral (PO) antibiotics; and 5) initiating an antibiotic timeout.

METHODS

Nine focus groups and 4 interviews with 49 clinical nurses, 5 nurse managers, and 7 infection preventionists were conducted across 2 academic pediatric and adult hospitals.

RESULTS

Nurse-driven antibiotic stewardship was perceived as an extension of the nurses' role as patient advocate. Three practices were perceived most favorably: questioning the necessity of urinary cultures, ensuring proper culturing techniques, and encouraging the prompt transition from IV to PO antibiotics. Remaining recommendations were perceived to lack relevance or to challenge traditionally held nursing responsibilities. Prescriber and family engagement were noted to assist the implementation of select recommendations. Infection preventionists welcomed the opportunity to assist in providing nurse stewardship education.

CONCLUSIONS

Nurses appeared to be enthusiastic about participating in antibiotic stewardship. Efforts to engage nurses should address knowledge needs and consider the contexts in which nurse-driven antibiotic stewardship occurs.

Telemedicine as an effective intervention to improve antibiotic appropriateness prescription and to reduce costs in pediatrics

Implementation of antimicrobial stewardship program is a pivotal practice element for healthcare institution. We developed a remote infectious disease consultancy program via telemedicine in a high-specialized pediatric cardiac hospital. A consultation for antibiotic strategy for each patient was available via telemedicine in addition to biweekly discussion of all clinical cases. Aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of the remote stewardship program in terms of a) appropriateness of antibiotic prescription; b) incidence of multi-resistant infection; and c) cost. A ‘before - after’ study was performed comparing the period immediately before starting the program and one year after. There was a trend in the reduction of nosocomial infectious disease rate (9.5 vs 6.5 per 1000 person days), with a reduction in the overall antibiotic cost (25,000 vs 15,000 EUR) and in the average antibiotics packages used per admission (9 vs 6.7 packages). A significant reduction in the multi-drug resistant isolation rate was observed (104 vs 79 per 1000 person days, p = 0.01). In conclusion, the infectious disease meeting via telemedicine has been an effective tool for economic and professional development and multidisciplinary management of complex patients. The appropriate use of antibiotics reduced the multi-drug resistant bacteria selection, thus improving patient safety.

A 72-h intervention for improvement of the rate of optimal antibiotic therapy in patients with bloodstream infections

Antimicrobial stewardship programs are implemented to optimize the use of antibiotics and control the spread of antibiotic resistance. Many antimicrobial stewardship interventions have demonstrated significant efficacy in reducing unnecessary prescriptions of antibiotics, the duration of antimicrobial therapy, and mortality. We evaluated the benefits of a combination of rapid diagnostic tests and an active re-evaluation of antibiotic therapy 72 h after the onset of bloodstream infection (BSI). All patients with BSI from November 2015 to November 2016 in a 1100-bed university hospital in Rome, where an Infectious Disease Consultancy Unit (Unità di Consulenza Infettivologica, UDCI) is available, were re-evaluated at the bedside 72 h after starting antimicrobial therapy and compared to two pre-intervention periods: the UDCI was called by the ward physician for patients with BSI and the UDCI was called directly by the microbiologist immediately after a pathogen was isolated from blood cultures. Recommendations for antibiotic de-escalation or discontinuation significantly increased (54%) from the two pre-intervention periods (32% and 27.2%, p < 0.0001). Appropriate escalation also significantly increased (22.5%) from the pre-intervention periods (8.1% and 8.2%, p < 0.0001). The total duration of antibiotic therapy decreased with intervention (from 21.9 days [standard deviation, SD 15.4] in period 1 to 19.3 days [SD 13.3] in period 2 to 17.7 days in period 3 [SD 11.5]; p = 0.002) and the length of stay was significantly shorter (from 29.7 days [SD 29.3] in period 1 to 26.8 days [SD 24.7] in period 2 to 24.2 days in period 3 [SD 20.7]; p = 0.04) than in the two pre-intervention periods. Mortality was similar among the study periods (31 patients died in period 1 (15.7%), 39 (16.7%) in period 2, and 48 (15.3%) in period 3; p = 0.90). Rapid diagnostic tests and 72 h re-evaluation of empirical therapy for BSI significantly correlated with an improved rate of optimal antibiotic therapy and decreased duration of antibiotic therapy and length of stay.

A Novel Metric to Monitor the Influence of Antimicrobial Stewardship Activities

The antimicrobial use (AU) option within the National Healthcare Safety Network summarizes antimicrobial prescribing data as a standardized antimicrobial administration ratio (SAAR). A hospital's antimicrobial stewardship program found that greater involvement of an infectious disease physician in prospective audit and feedback procedures was associated with reductions in SAAR values across multiple antimicrobial categories. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:721-723.

Strategies to enhance rational use of antibiotics in hospital: a guideline by the German Society for Infectious Diseases

Introduction

In the time of increasing resistance and paucity of new drug development there is a growing need for strategies to enhance rational use of antibiotics in German and Austrian hospitals. An evidence-based guideline on recommendations for implementation of antibiotic stewardship (ABS) programmes was developed by the German Society for Infectious Diseases in association with the following societies, associations and institutions: German Society of Hospital Pharmacists, German Society for Hygiene and Microbiology, Paul Ehrlich Society for Chemotherapy, The Austrian Association of Hospital Pharmacists, Austrian Society for Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, Austrian Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, Robert Koch Institute.

Materials and methods

A structured literature research was performed in the databases EMBASE, BIOSIS, MEDLINE and The Cochrane Library from January 2006 to November 2010 with an update to April 2012 (MEDLINE and The Cochrane Library). The grading of recommendations in relation to their evidence is according to the AWMF Guidance Manual and Rules for Guideline Development.

Conclusion

The guideline provides the grounds for rational use of antibiotics in hospital to counteract antimicrobial resistance and to improve the quality of care of patients with infections by maximising clinical outcomes while minimising toxicity. Requirements for a successful implementation of ABS programmes as well as core and supplemental ABS strategies are outlined. The German version of the guideline was published by the German Association of the Scientific Medical Societies (AWMF) in December 2013.

Interventions to improve antibiotic prescribing practices for hospital inpatients

BACKGROUND

Antibiotic resistance is a major public health problem. Infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria are associated with prolonged hospital stay and death compared with infections caused by susceptible bacteria. Appropriate antibiotic use in hospitals should ensure effective treatment of patients with infection and reduce unnecessary prescriptions. We updated this systematic review to evaluate the impact of interventions to improve antibiotic prescribing to hospital inpatients.

OBJECTIVES

To estimate the effectiveness and safety of interventions to improve antibiotic prescribing to hospital inpatients and to investigate the effect of two intervention functions: restriction and enablement.

SEARCH METHODS

We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (the Cochrane Library), MEDLINE, and Embase. We searched for additional studies using the bibliographies of included articles and personal files. The last search from which records were evaluated and any studies identified incorporated into the review was January 2015.

SELECTION CRITERIA

We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and non-randomised studies (NRS). We included three non-randomised study designs to measure behavioural and clinical outcomes and analyse variation in the effects: non- randomised trials (NRT), controlled before-after (CBA) studies and interrupted time series (ITS) studies. For this update we also included three additional NRS designs (case control, cohort, and qualitative studies) to identify unintended consequences. Interventions included any professional or structural interventions as defined by the Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care Group. We defined restriction as 'using rules to reduce the opportunity to engage in the target behaviour (or increase the target behaviour by reducing the opportunity to engage in competing behaviours)'. We defined enablement as 'increasing means/reducing barriers to increase capability or opportunity'. The main comparison was between intervention and no intervention.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two review authors extracted data and assessed study risk of bias. We performed meta-analysis and meta-regression of RCTs and meta-regression of ITS studies. We classified behaviour change functions for all interventions in the review, including those studies in the previously published versions. We analysed dichotomous data with a risk difference (RD). We assessed certainty of evidence with GRADE criteria.

MAIN RESULTS

This review includes 221 studies (58 RCTs, and 163 NRS). Most studies were from North America (96) or Europe (87). The remaining studies were from Asia (19), South America (8), Australia (8), and the East Asia (3). Although 62% of RCTs were at a high risk of bias, the results for the main review outcomes were similar when we restricted the analysis to studies at low risk of bias.More hospital inpatients were treated according to antibiotic prescribing policy with the intervention compared with no intervention based on 29 RCTs of predominantly enablement interventions (RD 15%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 14% to 16%; 23,394 participants; high-certainty evidence). This represents an increase from 43% to 58% .There were high levels of heterogeneity of effect size but the direction consistently favoured intervention.The duration of antibiotic treatment decreased by 1.95 days (95% CI 2.22 to 1.67; 14 RCTs; 3318 participants; high-certainty evidence) from 11.0 days. Information from non-randomised studies showed interventions to be associated with improvement in prescribing according to antibiotic policy in routine clinical practice, with 70% of interventions being hospital-wide compared with 31% for RCTs. The risk of death was similar between intervention and control groups (11% in both arms), indicating that antibiotic use can likely be reduced without adversely affecting mortality (RD 0%, 95% CI -1% to 0%; 28 RCTs; 15,827 participants; moderate-certainty evidence). Antibiotic stewardship interventions probably reduce length of stay by 1.12 days (95% CI 0.7 to 1.54 days; 15 RCTs; 3834 participants; moderate-certainty evidence). One RCT and six NRS raised concerns that restrictive interventions may lead to delay in treatment and negative professional culture because of breakdown in communication and trust between infection specialists and clinical teams (low-certainty evidence).Both enablement and restriction were independently associated with increased compliance with antibiotic policies, and enablement enhanced the effect of restrictive interventions (high-certainty evidence). Enabling interventions that included feedback were probably more effective than those that did not (moderate-certainty evidence).There was very low-certainty evidence about the effect of the interventions on reducing Clostridium difficile infections (median -48.6%, interquartile range -80.7% to -19.2%; 7 studies). This was also the case for resistant gram-negative bacteria (median -12.9%, interquartile range -35.3% to 25.2%; 11 studies) and resistant gram-positive bacteria (median -19.3%, interquartile range -50.1% to +23.1%; 9 studies). There was too much variance in microbial outcomes to reliably assess the effect of change in antibiotic use. Heterogeneity of intervention effect on prescribing outcomesWe analysed effect modifiers in 29 RCTs and 91 ITS studies. Enablement and restriction were independently associated with a larger effect size (high-certainty evidence). Feedback was included in 4 (17%) of 23 RCTs and 20 (47%) of 43 ITS studies of enabling interventions and was associated with greater intervention effect. Enablement was included in 13 (45%) of 29 ITS studies with restrictive interventions and enhanced intervention effect.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

We found high-certainty evidence that interventions are effective in increasing compliance with antibiotic policy and reducing duration of antibiotic treatment. Lower use of antibiotics probably does not increase mortality and likely reduces length of stay. Additional trials comparing antibiotic stewardship with no intervention are unlikely to change our conclusions. Enablement consistently increased the effect of interventions, including those with a restrictive component. Although feedback further increased intervention effect, it was used in only a minority of enabling interventions. Interventions were successful in safely reducing unnecessary antibiotic use in hospitals, despite the fact that the majority did not use the most effective behaviour change techniques. Consequently, effective dissemination of our findings could have considerable health service and policy impact. Future research should instead focus on targeting treatment and assessing other measures of patient safety, assess different stewardship interventions, and explore the barriers and facilitators to implementation. More research is required on unintended consequences of restrictive interventions.

Antimicrobial agents - optimising the ecological balance

BACKGROUND

There is no more challenging a group of pharmaceuticals than antimicrobials. With the antibiotic era came great optimism as countless deaths were prevented from what were previously fatal conditions. Although antimicrobial resistance was quickly identified, the abundance of antibiotics entering the market helped cement attitudes of arrogance as the "battle against pestilence appeared won". Opposite emotions soon followed as many heralded the return of the pre-antibiotic era, suggesting that the "antibiotic pipeline had dried up" and that our existing armament would soon be rendered worthless.

DISCUSSION

In reality, humans overrate their ecological importance. For millions of years there has been a balance between factors promoting bacterial survival and those disturbing it. The first half century of the "antibiotic era" was characterised by a cavalier attitude disturbing the natural balance; however, recent efforts have been made through several mechanisms to respond and re-strengthen the antimicrobial armament. Such mechanisms include a variety of incentives, educational efforts and negotiations. Today, there are many more "man-made" factors that will determine a new balance or state of ecological harmony.

CONCLUSION

Antibiotics are not a panacea nor will they ever be inutile. New resistance mechanisms will be identified and new antibiotics will be discovered, but most importantly, we must optimise our application of these extraordinary "biological tools"; therein lays our greatest challenge - creating a society that understands and respects the determinants of the effectiveness of antibiotics.

Effectiveness of sequential intravenous-to-oral antibiotic switch therapy in hospitalized patients with gram-positive infection: the SEQUENCE cohort study

Switching from intravenous to oral antibiotic therapy may improve inpatient management and reduce hospital stays and the complications of intravenous treatment. We aimed to assess the effectiveness of intravenous-to-oral antibiotic switch therapy and an early discharge algorithm in hospitalized patients with gram-positive infection. We performed a prospective cohort study with a retrospective comparison cohort, recruited from eight tertiary, acute-care Spanish referral hospitals. All patients included had culture-confirmed methicillin-resistant gram-positive infection, or methicillin-susceptible gram-positive infection and beta-lactam allergy and had received intravenous treatment with glycopeptides, lipopeptides, or linezolid. The study comprised two cohorts: the prospective cohort to assess the effectiveness of a sequential intravenous-to-oral antibiotic switch algorithm and early discharge, and a retrospective cohort in which the algorithm had not been applied, used as the comparator. A total of 247 evaluable patients were included; 115 in the prospective and 132 in the retrospective cohort. Forty-five retrospective patients (34 %) were not changed to oral antibiotics, and 87 (66 %) were changed to oral antibiotics without following the proposed algorithm. The duration of hospitalization was significantly shorter in the prospective cohort compared to the retrospective group that did not switch to oral drugs (16.7 ± 18.7 vs 23 ± 13.4 days, P  < 0.001). No differences were observed regarding the incidence of catheter-related bacteraemia (4.4 % vs 2.6 %, P = 0.621). Our results suggest that an intravenous-to-oral antibiotic switch strategy is effective for reducing the length of hospital stay in selected hospitalized patients with gram-positive infection.

Provider variation in responses to warnings: do the same providers run stop signs repeatedly?

OBJECTIVE

Variation in the use of tests and treatments has been demonstrated to be substantial between providers and geographic regions. This study assessed variation between outpatient providers in overriding electronic prescribing warnings.

METHODS

Responses to warnings were prospectively logged. Random effects models were used to calculate provider-to-provider variation in the rates for the decisions to override warnings in 6 different clinical domains: medication allergies, drug-drug interactions, duplicate drugs, renal recommendations, age-based recommendations, and formulary substitutions.

RESULTS

A total of 157 482 responses were logged. Differences between 1717 providers accounted for 11% of the overall variability in override rates, so that while the average override rate was 45.2%, individual provider rates had a wide range with a 95% confidence interval (CI) (13.7%-76.7% ). The highest variations between providers were observed in the categories age-based (25.4% of total variability; average override rate 70.2% [95% CI, 29.1%-100% ]) and renal recommendations (24.2%; average 70% [95% CI, 29.5%-100% ]), and provider responses within these 2 categories were most often clinically inappropriate according to prior work. Among providers who received at least 10 age-based recommendations, 64 of 238 (27%) overrode ≥ 90% of the warnings and 13 of 238 (5%) overrode all of them. Of those who received at least 10 renal recommendations, 36 of 92 (39%) overrode ≥ 90% of the alerts and 9 of 92 (10%) overrode all of them.

CONCLUSIONS

The decision to override prescribing warnings shows variation between providers, and the magnitude of variation differs among the clinical domains of the warnings; more variation was observed in areas with more inappropriate overrides.

Factors Influencing Antibiotic-Prescribing Decisions Among Inpatient Physicians: A Qualitative Investigation

OBJECTIVE

To understand the professional and psychosocial factors that influence physician antibiotic prescribing habits in the inpatient setting.

DESIGN

We conducted semi-structured interviews with 30 inpatient physicians. Interviews consisted of open-ended questions and flexible probes based on participant responses. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, de-identified, and reviewed for accuracy and completeness. Data were analyzed using emergent thematic analysis.

SETTING

Two teaching hospitals in Indianapolis, Indiana

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 30 inpatient physicians (10 physicians-in-training, 20 supervising staff) were enrolled in this study.

RESULTS

Participants recognized that antibiotics are overused, and many admitted to prescribing antibiotics even when the clinical evidence of infection was uncertain. Overprescription was largely driven by anxiety about missing an infection, whereas potential adverse effects of antibiotics did not strongly influence decision making. Participants did not routinely disclose potential adverse effects of antibiotics to inpatients. Physicians-in-training were strongly influenced by the antibiotic prescribing behavior of their supervising staff physicians. Participants sometimes questioned their colleagues' antibiotic prescribing decisions, but they frequently avoided providing direct feedback or critique. These physicians cited obstacles of hierarchy, infrequent face-to-face encounters, and the awkwardness of these conversations.

CONCLUSION

A physician-based culture of prescribing antibiotics involves overusing antibiotics and not challenging the decisions of colleagues. The potential adverse effects of antibiotics did not strongly influence decision making in this sample. A better understanding of these factors could be leveraged in future efforts to improve antibiotic prescribing practices in the inpatient setting.

Contribution of antimicrobial stewardship programs to reduction of antimicrobial therapy costs in community hospital with 429 Beds --before-after comparative two-year trial in Japan

Objectives

Do antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) contribute to reduction of antimicrobial therapy costs in Japanese community hospitals? To answer this health economic question, a before-after comparative two-year trial in a community hospital in the country was designed.

Methods

The study was conducted at National Hospital Organization Tochigi Medical Center, a community hospital with 429 beds. We compared six-month period before-ASP (January 2010 to June 2010) and 24-month period after ASP (July 2010 to June 2012) in primary and secondary outcome measures. Three medical doctors, three pharmacists and two microbiology technologists participate in the ASPs. The team then provided recommendations based on the supplemental elements to primary physicians who prescribed injectable antimicrobials. Prospective audit with intervention and feedback was applied in the core strategy while dose optimization, de-escalation and recommendations for alternate agents and blood cultures were applied in the supplemental elements. The primary outcome was measured by the antimicrobial therapy costs (USD per 1,000 patient-days), while the secondary outcomes included the amount of antimicrobials used (defined daily doses per 1,000 patient-days), sensitivity rates (%) of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) to Meropenem (MEPM), Ciprofloxacin (CPFX) and Amikacin (AMK), length of stay (days) and detection rates (per 1,000 patient-day) of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and extended spectrum beta-lactamase-producing organisms (ESBLs) through blood cultures.

Results

In the study, recommendations were made for 465 cases out of 1,427 cases subject to the core strategy, and recommendations for 251 cases (54.0%) were accepted. After ASP, the antimicrobial therapy costs decreased by 25.8% (P = 0.005) from those before ASP. Among the secondary outcomes, significant changes were observed in the amount of aminoglycosides used, which decreased by 80.0% (P < 0.001) and the detection rate of MRSA, which decreased by 48.3% (P < 0.001).

Conclusions

The study suggested the possibility that ASPs contributed to the reduction of the antimicrobial therapy costs in a community hospital with 429 beds.

Comparison of prior authorization and prospective audit with feedback for antimicrobial stewardship

OBJECTIVE

Although prior authorization and prospective audit with feedback are both effective antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) strategies, the relative impact of these approaches remains unclear. We compared these core ASP strategies at an academic medical center.

DESIGN

Quasi-experimental study.

METHODS

We compared antimicrobial use during the 24 months before and after implementation of an ASP strategy change. The ASP used prior authorization alone during the preintervention period, June 2007 through May 2009. In June 2009, many antimicrobials were unrestricted and prospective audit was implemented for cefepime, piperacillin/tazobactam, and vancomycin, marking the start of the postintervention period, July 2009 through June 2011. All adult inpatients who received more than or equal to 1 dose of an antimicrobial were included. The primary end point was antimicrobial consumption in days of therapy per 1,000 patient-days (DOT/1,000-PD). Secondary end points included length of stay (LOS).

RESULTS

In total, 55,336 patients were included (29,660 preintervention and 25,676 postintervention). During the preintervention period, both total systemic antimicrobial use (-9.75 DOT/1,000-PD per month) and broad-spectrum anti-gram-negative antimicrobial use (-4.00 DOT/1,000-PD) declined. After the introduction of prospective audit with feedback, however, both total antimicrobial use (+9.65 DOT/1,000-PD per month; P < .001) and broad-spectrum anti-gram-negative antimicrobial use (+4.80 DOT/1,000-PD per month; P < .001) increased significantly. Use of cefepime and piperacillin/tazobactam both significantly increased after the intervention (P = .03). Hospital LOS and LOS after first antimicrobial dose also significantly increased after the intervention (P = .016 and .004, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Significant increases in antimicrobial consumption and LOS were observed after the change in ASP strategy.

Antibiotic stewardship ward rounds and a dedicated prescription chart reduce antibiotic consumption and pharmacy costs without affecting inpatient mortality or re-admission rates

Background

Antibiotic consumption is a major driver of bacterial resistance. To address the increasing burden of multi-drug resistant bacterial infections, antibiotic stewardship programmes are promoted worldwide to rationalize antibiotic prescribing and conserve remaining antibiotics. Few studies have been reported from developing countries and none from Africa that report on an intervention based approach with outcomes that include morbidity and mortality.

Methods

An antibiotic prescription chart and weekly antibiotic stewardship ward round was introduced into two medical wards of an academic teaching hospital in South Africa between January-December 2012. Electronic pharmacy records were used to collect the volume and cost of antibiotics used, the patient database was analysed to determine inpatient mortality and 30-day re-admission rates, and laboratory records to determine use of infection-related tests. Outcomes were compared to a control period, January-December 2011.

Results

During the intervention period, 475.8 defined daily doses were prescribed per 1000 inpatient days compared to 592.0 defined daily doses/1000 inpatient days during the control period. This represents a 19.6% decrease in volume with a cost reduction of 35% of the pharmacy’s antibiotic budget. There was a concomitant increase in laboratory tests driven by requests for procalcitonin. There was no difference in inpatient mortality or 30-day readmission rate during the control and intervention periods.

Conclusions

Introduction of antibiotic stewardship ward rounds and a dedicated prescription chart in a developing country setting can achieve reduction in antibiotic consumption without harm to patients. Increased laboratory costs should be anticipated when introducing an antibiotic stewardship program.

Interventions to improve antibiotic prescribing practices for hospital inpatients

BACKGROUND

The first publication of this review in Issue 3, 2005 included studies up to November 2003. This update adds studies to December 2006 and focuses on application of a new method for meta-analysis of interrupted time series studies and application of new Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care (EPOC) Risk of Bias criteria to all studies in the review, including those studies in the previously published version. The aim of the review is to evaluate the impact of interventions from the perspective of antibiotic stewardship. The two objectives of antibiotic stewardship are first to ensure effective treatment for patients with bacterial infection and second support professionals and patients to reduce unnecessary use and minimize collateral damage.

OBJECTIVES

To estimate the effectiveness of professional interventions that, alone or in combination, are effective in antibiotic stewardship for hospital inpatients, to evaluate the impact of these interventions on reducing the incidence of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens or Clostridium difficile infection and their impact on clinical outcome.

SEARCH METHODS

We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, EMBASE from 1980 to December 2006 and the EPOC specialized register in July 2007 and February 2009 and bibliographies of retrieved articles. The main comparison is between interventions that had a restrictive element and those that were purely persuasive. Restrictive interventions were implemented through restriction of the freedom of prescribers to select some antibiotics. Persuasive interventions used one or more of the following methods for changing professional behaviour: dissemination of educational resources, reminders, audit and feedback, or educational outreach. Restrictive interventions could contain persuasive elements.

SELECTION CRITERIA

We included randomized clinical trials (RCTs), controlled clinical trials (CCT), controlled before-after (CBA) and interrupted time series studies (ITS). Interventions included any professional or structural interventions as defined by EPOC. The intervention had to include a component that aimed to improve antibiotic prescribing to hospital inpatients, either by increasing effective treatment or by reducing unnecessary treatment. The results had to include interpretable data about the effect of the intervention on antibiotic prescribing or microbial outcomes or relevant clinical outcomes.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two authors extracted data and assessed quality. We performed meta-regression of ITS studies to compare the results of persuasive and restrictive interventions. Persuasive interventions advised physicians about how to prescribe or gave them feedback about how they prescribed. Restrictive interventions put a limit on how they prescribed; for example, physicians had to have approval from an infection specialist in order to prescribe an antibiotic. We standardized the results of some ITS studies so that they are on the same scale (percent change in outcome), thereby facilitating comparisons of different interventions. To do this, we used the change in level and change in slope to estimate the effect size with increasing time after the intervention (one month, six months, one year, etc) as the percent change in level at each time point. We did not extrapolate beyond the end of data collection after the intervention. The meta-regression was performed using standard weighted linear regression with the standard errors of the coefficients adjusted where necessary.

MAIN RESULTS

For this update we included 89 studies that reported 95 interventions. Of the 89 studies, 56 were ITSs (of which 4 were controlled ITSs), 25 were RCT (of which 5 were cluster-RCTs), 5 were CBAs and 3 were CCTs (of which 1 was a cluster-CCT).Most (80/95, 84%) of the interventions targeted the antibiotic prescribed (choice of antibiotic, timing of first dose and route of administration). The remaining 15 interventions aimed to change exposure of patients to antibiotics by targeting the decision to treat or the duration of treatment. Reliable data about impact on antibiotic prescribing data were available for 76 interventions (44 persuasive, 24 restrictive and 8 structural). For the persuasive interventions, the median change in antibiotic prescribing was 42.3% for the ITSs, 31.6% for the controlled ITSs, 17.7% for the CBAs, 3.5% for the cluster-RCTs and 24.7% for the RCTs. The restrictive interventions had a median effect size of 34.7% for the ITSs, 17.1% for the CBAs and 40.5% for the RCTs. The structural interventions had a median effect of 13.3% for the RCTs and 23.6% for the cluster-RCTs. Data about impact on microbial outcomes were available for 21 interventions but only 6 of these also had reliable data about impact on antibiotic prescribing.Meta-analysis of 52 ITS studies was used to compare restrictive versus purely persuasive interventions. Restrictive interventions had significantly greater impact on prescribing outcomes at one month (32%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2% to 61%, P = 0.03) and on microbial outcomes at 6 months (53%, 95% CI 31% to 75%, P = 0.001) but there were no significant differences at 12 or 24 months. Interventions intended to decrease excessive prescribing were associated with reduction in Clostridium difficile infections and colonization or infection with aminoglycoside- or cephalosporin-resistant gram-negative bacteria, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis. Meta-analysis of clinical outcomes showed that four interventions intended to increase effective prescribing for pneumonia were associated with significant reduction in mortality (risk ratio 0.89, 95% CI 0.82 to 0.97), whereas nine interventions intended to decrease excessive prescribing were not associated with significant increase in mortality (risk ratio 0.92, 95% CI 0.81 to 1.06).

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

The results show that interventions to reduce excessive antibiotic prescribing to hospital inpatients can reduce antimicrobial resistance or hospital-acquired infections, and interventions to increase effective prescribing can improve clinical outcome. This update provides more evidence about unintended clinical consequences of interventions and about the effect of interventions to reduce exposure of patients to antibiotics. The meta-analysis supports the use of restrictive interventions when the need is urgent, but suggests that persuasive and restrictive interventions are equally effective after six months.

Antimicrobial stewardship: a review of prospective audit and feedback systems and an objective evaluation of outcomes

Antimicrobial stewardship is an emerging field currently defined by a series of strategies and interventions aimed toward improving appropriate prescription of antibiotics in humans in all healthcare settings. The ultimate goal is the preservation of current and future antibiotics against the threat of antimicrobial resistance, although improving patient safety and reducing healthcare costs are important concurrent aims. Prospective audit and feedback interventions are probably the most widely practiced of all antimicrobial stewardship strategies. Although labor-intensive, they are more easily accepted by physicians compared with formulary restriction and preauthorization strategies and have a higher potential for educational opportunities. Objective evaluation of antimicrobial stewardship is critical for determining the success of such programs. Nonetheless, there is controversy over which outcomes to measure and there is a pressing need for novel study designs that can objectively assess antimicrobial stewardship interventions despite the limitations inherent in the structure of most such programs.

Adherence to recommendations by infectious disease consultants and its influence on outcomes of intravenous antibiotic-treated hospitalized patients

BACKGROUND

Consultation to infectious diseases specialists (ID), although not always performed by treating physicians, is part of hospital's daily practice. This study analyses adherence by treating physicians to written ID recommendations (inserted in clinical records) and its effect on outcome in hospitalized antibiotic-treated patients in a tertiary hospital in Spain.

METHODS

A prospective, randomized, one-year study was performed. Patients receiving intravenous antimicrobial therapy prescribed by treating physicians for 3 days were identified and randomised to intervention (insertion of written ID recommendations in clinical records) or non-intervention. Appropriateness of empirical treatments (by treating physicians) was classified as adequate, inadequate or unnecessary. In the intervention group, adherence to recommendations was classified as complete, partial or non-adherence.

RESULTS

A total of 1173 patients were included, 602 in the non-intervention and 571 in the intervention group [199 (34.9%) showing complete adherence, 141 (24.7%) partial adherence and 231 (40.5%) non-adherence to recommendations]. In the multivariate analysis for adherence (R2 Cox=0.065, p=0.009), non-adherence was associated with prolonged antibiotic prophylaxis (p=0.004; OR=0.37, 95%CI=0.19-0.72). In the multivariate analysis for clinical failure (R2 Cox=0.126, p<0.001), Charlson index (p<0.001; OR=1.19, 95%CI=1.10-1.28), malnutrition (p=0.006; OR=2.00, 95%CI=1.22-3.26), nosocomial infection (p<0.001; OR=4.12, 95%CI=2.27-7.48) and length of hospitalization (p<0.001; OR=1.01, 95%CI=1.01-1.02) were positively associated with failure, while complete adherence (p=0.001; OR=0.35, 95%CI=0.19-0.64) and adequate initial treatment (p=0.010; OR=0.39, 95%CI=0.19-0.80) were negatively associated.

CONCLUSIONS

Adherence to ID recommendations by treating physicians was associated with favorable outcome, in turn associated with shortened length of hospitalization. This may have important health-economic benefits and stimulates further investigation.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN83234896. http://www.controlled-trials.com/isrctn/sample_documentation.asp.

Implementation of an antimicrobial stewardship program on the medical-surgical service of a 100-bed community hospital

Background

Antimicrobial stewardship has been promoted as a key strategy for coping with the problems of antimicrobial resistance and Clostridium difficile. Despite the current call for stewardship in community hospitals, including smaller community hospitals, practical examples of stewardship programs are scarce in the reported literature. The purpose of the current report is to describe the implementation of an antimicrobial stewardship program on the medical-surgical service of a 100-bed community hospital employing a core strategy of post-prescriptive audit with intervention and feedback.

Methods

For one hour twice weekly, an infectious diseases physician and a clinical pharmacist audited medical records of inpatients receiving systemic antimicrobial therapy and made non-binding, written recommendations that were subsequently scored for implementation. Defined daily doses (DDDs; World Health Organization Center for Drug Statistics Methodology) and acquisition costs per admission and per patient-day were calculated monthly for all administered antimicrobial agents.

Results

The antimicrobial stewardship team (AST) made one or more recommendations for 313 of 367 audits during a 16-month intervention period (September 2009 – December 2010). Physicians implemented recommendation(s) from each of 234 (75%) audits, including from 85 of 115 for which discontinuation of all antimicrobial therapy was recommended. In comparison to an 8-month baseline period (January 2009 – August 2009), there was a 22% decrease in defined daily doses per 100 admissions (P = .006) and a 16% reduction per 1000 patient-days (P = .013). There was a 32% reduction in antimicrobial acquisition cost per admission (P = .013) and a 25% acquisition cost reduction per patient-day (P = .022).

Conclusions

An effective antimicrobial stewardship program was implemented with limited resources on the medical-surgical service of a 100-bed community hospital.

Outcome measurement of extensive implementation of antimicrobial stewardship in patients receiving intravenous antibiotics in a Japanese university hospital

BACKGROUND

Antimicrobial stewardship has not always prevailed in a wide variety of medical institutions in Japan.

METHODS

The infection control team was involved in the review of individual use of antibiotics in all inpatients (6348 and 6507 patients/year during the first and second annual interventions, respectively) receiving intravenous antibiotics, according to the published guidelines, consultation with physicians before prescription of antimicrobial agents and organisation of education programme on infection control for all medical staff. The outcomes of extensive implementation of antimicrobial stewardship were evaluated from the standpoint of antimicrobial use density, treatment duration, duration of hospital stay, occurrence of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria and medical expenses.

RESULTS

Prolonged use of antibiotics over 2 weeks was significantly reduced after active implementation of antimicrobial stewardship (2.9% vs. 5.2%, p < 0.001). Significant reduction in the antimicrobial consumption was observed in the second-generation cephalosporins (p = 0.03), carbapenems (p = 0.003), aminoglycosides (p < 0.001), leading to a reduction in the cost of antibiotics by 11.7%. The appearance of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and the proportion of Serratia marcescens to Gram-negative bacteria decreased significantly from 47.6% to 39.5% (p = 0.026) and from 3.7% to 2.0% (p = 0.026), respectively. Moreover, the mean hospital stay was shortened by 2.9 days after active implementation of antimicrobial stewardship.

CONCLUSION

Extensive implementation of antimicrobial stewardship led to a decrease in the inappropriate use of antibiotics, saving in medical expenses, reduction in the development of antimicrobial resistance and shortening of hospital stay.

Clinical benefit of infectious diseases consultation: a monocentric prospective cohort study

PURPOSE

To determine the association of clinical outcomes with the adherence to Infectious Diseases Consultation (IDC) recommendations.

METHODS

From March to August 2009, all patients hospitalized in our hospital, for whom an IDC was requested, were prospectively enrolled. The adherence to recommendations was ascertained after 72 h from the IDC. The primary objective of the study was to evaluate the clinical cure rate 1 month after the IDC, according to the adherence to IDC recommendations.

RESULTS

An IDC was requested for 258 inpatients. The infectious disease (ID) was most often non-severe (66%), community-acquired (62%), and already under treatment (47%). IDC proposals were most often formulated via a formal consultation (57%). Physicians' adherence to IDC recommendations was 87% for diagnostic tests and 90% for antibiotherapy. In the multivariate analysis, severe infections and direct consultation were independently associated with increased odds of adherence to recommendations for performing diagnostic tests (odds ratios 5.4 and 4.0, respectively). The overall clinical cure rate was 84% and this did not differ according to the adherence to IDC recommendations for diagnostic tests (84.3 vs. 71.4%, p = 0.15) and antimicrobial treatment (84.8 vs. 77.8%, p = 0.34).

CONCLUSIONS

Some limitations of the study may explain the lack of evidence of a clinical benefit, such as the very high level of adherence to IDC recommendations and the low proportion of severe infections. However, clinical improvement was always better when recommendations were followed. Therefore, further larger randomized multicentric studies including more patients suffering from more severe IDs may be needed in order to demonstrate a clinical impact.

Antimicrobial stewardship

Antimicrobial resistance is increasing; however, antimicrobial drug development is slowing. Now more than ever before, antimicrobial stewardship is of the utmost importance as a way to optimize the use of antimicrobials to prevent the development of resistance and improve patient outcomes. This review describes the why, what, who, how, when, and where of antimicrobial stewardship. Techniques of stewardship are summarized, and a plan for implementation of a stewardship program is outlined.

Prospective audit and feedback on antibiotic prescription in an adult hematology-oncology unit in Singapore

We evaluated the impact of a prospective audit and feedback antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) on antibiotic prescription and resistance trends in a hematology-oncology unit in a university hospital (National University Cancer Institute, Singapore [NCIS]). A prospective interrupted time-series study comprising 11-month pre-intervention (PIP) and intervention evaluation phases (IEP) flanking a one-month implementation phase was carried out. Outcome measures included defined daily dose per 100 (DDD/100) inpatient-days of ASP-audited and all antibiotics (encompassing audited and non-audited antibiotics), and the incidence-density of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms at the NCIS. Internal and external controls were DDD/100 inpatient-days of paracetamol at the NCIS and DDD/100 inpatient-days of antibiotics prescribed in the rest of the hospital. There were 580 ASP recommendations from 1,276 audits, with a mean monthly compliance of 86.9%. Significant reversal of prescription trends towards reduced prescription of audited (coefficient = -2.621; 95% confidence interval [CI]: -4.923, -0.319; p = 0.026) and all evaluated antibiotics (coefficient = -4.069; 95% CI: -8.075, -0.063; p = 0.046) was observed. No changes were seen for both internal and external controls, except for the reversal of prescription trends for cephalosporins hospital-wide. Antimicrobial resistance did not change over the time period of the study. Adverse outcomes-the majority unavoidable-occurred following 5.5% of accepted ASP recommendations. Safe and effective ASPs can be implemented in the complex setting of hematology-oncology inpatients.

Antimicrobial stewardship: attempting to preserve a strategic resource

Antimicrobials hold a unique place in our drug armamentarium. Unfortunately the increase in resistance among both gram-positive and gram-negative pathogens coupled with a lack of new antimicrobial agents is threatening our ability to treat infections. Antimicrobial use is the driving force behind this rise in resistance and much of this use is suboptimal. Antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASP) have been advocated as a strategy to improve antimicrobial use. The goals of ASP are to improve patient outcomes while minimizing toxicity and selection for resistant strains by assisting in the selection of the correct agent, right dose, and best duration. Two major strategies for ASP exist: restriction/pre-authorization that controls use at the time of ordering and audit and feedback that reviews ordered antimicrobials and makes suggestions for improvement. Both strategies have some limitations, but have been effective at achieving stewardship goals. Other supplemental strategies such as education, clinical prediction rules, biomarkers, clinical decision support software, and institutional guidelines have been effective at improving antimicrobial use. The most effective antimicrobial stewardship programs have employed multiple strategies to impact antimicrobial use. Using these strategies stewardship programs have been able to decrease antimicrobial use, the spread of resistant pathogens, the incidence of C. difficile infection, pharmacy costs, and improved patient outcomes.

Economic burden of inappropriate antibiotic use for prophylactic purpose in shiraz, iran

BACKGROUND

Because economic data on the prophylactic usage of antibiotic in Iran are scant, we have conducted a cross-sectional study with provider perspective to measure costs and appropriate use of antibiotics in surgical wards of 6 training hospitals affiliated to Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (SUMS), Iran.

METHODS

Over a six-month period 1,000 consecutive patients undergoing surgical operation were enrolled and information on prophylactic antibiotic administration was collected. The information included basic patient's demographic data, types of surgery, category of antibiotic, dosage, dosage intervals, route of administration, number of doses, initiation times and duration of administration. In order to determine the agreement between prescribed antibiotics and medical indication, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) guidelines were applied.

RESULTS

Nine hundred and ninety three out of 1,000 patients (99.3%) had received at least one antibiotic and 908 patients (91.4 %) received antibiotics because of a medical indication. Five out of 913 patients who had indications for antibiotic prophylaxis did not receive any antibiotic. Antibiotics were prescribed for 85 out of 87 (98%) procedures in which an antibiotic was not indicated. The average cost of antibiotic prescription per surgical procedure was 786,936 Iranian Rials (corresponding to 99.60 USD or €82.90). The most frequent prescribed antibiotic was cefazoline adding 53.3% of the total cost of antibiotics. In total, 36,516,190 Iranian Rials (corresponding to 4,622.95 USD or €3,845.20) were spent for cefazoline alone.

CONCLUSION

The results of this study showed that all surgical patients received at least one antibiotic as prophylaxis for any infection in the surgical site. Our results indicate over- and misuse of antibiotics in Iran leading to a great amount of economic burden, since in 98% of all procedures, antibiotics were used inappropriately.

Use of procalcitonin (PCT) to guide discontinuation of antibiotic use in an unspecified sepsis is an antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP)

Clinicians have used procalcitonin (PCT) (biomarker to differentiate bacterial from non-bacterial sepsis) to guide use of antibiotics in patients. As the data for utility of PCT to discontinue antibiotics in an antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) are lacking, we aim to describe the outcomes of patients in whom PCT was used to discontinue antibiotics under our ASP. An antimicrobial stewardship (AS) team intervened to discontinue antibiotics in patients with persistent fever or leucocytosis, source of sepsis unknown or negative bacteriological cultures, who had completed an adequate course of antibiotic therapy and had a PCT of <0.5 μg/L. Main outcomes evaluated were 14-day re-infection, 30-day mortality and readmission. Antibiotic therapy was discontinued in 42 patients in 1 year. Unknown source of sepsis was found in 38% of the patients (including possible malignant fever) and culture-negative pneumonia was found in 21%. Two patients died of advanced cancer. One patient decided for comfort care and died one week later. One patient died due to a second episode of pneumonia 37 days after first PCT test. Six patients were readmitted within 30 days due to non-infectious causes. Three patients were readmitted due to culture-negative pneumonia. None had a 14-day re-infection. PCT used to discontinue antibiotics under our ASP did not compromise patients' outcome.

Pro/con debate: Should antimicrobial stewardship programs be adopted universally in the intensive care unit?

You are director of a large multi-disciplinary ICU. You have recently read that hospital-wide antibiotic stewardship programs have the potential to improve the quality and safety of care, and to reduce the emergence of multi-drug resistant organisms and overall costs. You are considering starting one of these programs in your ICU, but are concerned about the associated infrastructure costs. You are debating whether it is worth bringing the concept forward to your hospital's administration to consider investing in.

Impact of an antimicrobial utilization program on antimicrobial use at a large teaching hospital: a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Multidisciplinary antimicrobial utilization teams (AUTs) have been proposed as a mechanism for improving antimicrobial use, but data on their efficacy remain limited.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the impact of an AUT on antimicrobial use at a teaching hospital.

DESIGN

Randomized controlled intervention trial.

SETTING

A 953-bed, public, university-affiliated, urban teaching hospital.

PATIENTS

Patients who were given selected antimicrobial agents (piperacillin-tazobactam, levofloxacin, or vancomycin) by internal medicine ward teams.

INTERVENTION

Twelve internal medicine teams were randomly assigned monthly: 6 teams to an intervention group (academic detailing by the AUT) and 6 teams to a control group that was given indication-based guidelines for prescription of broad-spectrum antimicrobials (standard of care), during a 10-month study period.

MEASUREMENTS

Proportion of appropriate empirical, definitive (therapeutic), and end (overall) antimicrobial usage.

RESULTS

A total of 784 new prescriptions of piperacillin-tazobactam, levofloxacin, and vancomycin were reviewed. The proportion of antimicrobial prescriptions written by the intervention teams that was considered to be appropriate was significantly higher than the proportion of antimicrobial prescriptions written by the control teams that was considered to be appropriate: 82% versus 73% for empirical (risk ratio [RR], 1.14; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04-1.24), 82% versus 43% for definitive (RR, 1.89; 95% CI, 1.53-2.33), and 94% versus 70% for end antimicrobial usage (RR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.25-1.43). In multivariate analysis, teams that received feedback from the AUT alone (adjusted RR, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.27-1.48) or from both the AUT and the infectious diseases consultation service (adjusted RR, 2.28; 95% CI, 1.64-3.19) were significantly more likely to prescribe end antimicrobial usage appropriately, compared with control teams.

CONCLUSIONS

A multidisciplinary AUT that provides feedback to prescribing physicians was an effective method in improving antimicrobial use. Trial registration. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00552838.

Antimicrobial stewardship: application in the intensive care unit

Critical-care units can be barometers for appropriate antimicrobial use. There, life and death hang on empirical antimicrobial therapy for treatment of infectious diseases. With increasing therapeutic empiricism, triple-drug, broad-spectrum regimens are often necessary, but cannot be continued without fear of the double-edged sword: a life-saving intervention or loss of life following Clostridium difficile infection, infection from a resistant organism, nephrotoxicity, cardiac toxicity, and so on. While broadened initial empirical therapy is considered a standard, it must be necessary, dosed according to pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic principles, and stopped when no longer needed. Antimicrobial stewardship interventions shepherd these considerations in antimicrobial therapy. With pharmacists and physicians trained in infectious disease and critical care, clear-cut interventions can be focused on beginning or growing a stewardship program, or proposing future studies.

Antimicrobial stewardship program directed at broad-spectrum intravenous antibiotics prescription in a tertiary hospital

The antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) is a major strategy to combat antimicrobial resistance and to limit its expenditure. We have improved on our existing ASP to implement a sustainable and cost-effective two-stage immediate concurrent feedback (ICF) model, in which the antimicrobial prescription is audited by two part-time infection control nurses at the first stage, followed by "physician ICF" at the second stage. In January 2005, an ASP focused on broad-spectrum intravenous antibiotics was implemented. All in-patients, except from the intensive care, bone marrow transplantation, liver transplantation, pediatric, and private units, being treated with broad-spectrum intravenous antibiotics were included. The compliance to ICF and "physician ICF", antibiotics usage density measured by expenditure and defined daily doses (DDD) were recorded and analyzed before and after the ASP. The overall conformance rate to antibiotic prescription guidelines was 79.4%, while the conformance to ICF was 83.8%. Antibiotics consumption reduced from 73.06 (baseline, year 2004) to 64.01 (year 2007) per 1,000 patient bed-day-occupancy. Our model can be easily applied even in the clinical setting of limited resources.

Outcomes of early switching from intravenous to oral antibiotics on medical wards

Objectives

To evaluate outcomes following implementation of a checklist with criteria for switching from intravenous (iv) to oral antibiotics on unselected patients on two general medical wards.

Methods

During a 12 month intervention study, a printed checklist of criteria for switching on the third day of iv treatment was placed in the medical charts. The decision to switch was left to the discretion of the attending physician. Outcome parameters of a 4 month control phase before intervention were compared with the equivalent 4 month period during the intervention phase to control for seasonal confounding (before–after study; April to July of 2006 and 2007, respectively): 250 episodes (215 patients) during the intervention period were compared with the control group of 176 episodes (162 patients). The main outcome measure was the duration of iv therapy. Additionally, safety, adherence to the checklist, reasons against switching patients and antibiotic cost were analysed during the whole year of the intervention (n = 698 episodes).

Results

In 38% (246/646) of episodes of continued iv antibiotic therapy, patients met all criteria for switching to oral antibiotics on the third day, and 151/246 (61.4%) were switched. The number of days of iv antibiotic treatment were reduced by 19% (95% confidence interval 9%–29%, P = 0.001; 6.0–5.0 days in median) with no increase in complications. The main reasons against switching were persisting fever (41%, n = 187) and absence of clinical improvement (41%, n = 185).

Conclusions

On general medical wards, a checklist with bedside criteria for switching to oral antibiotics can shorten the duration of iv therapy without any negative effect on treatment outcome. The criteria were successfully applied to all patients on the wards, independently of the indication (empirical or directed treatment), the type of (presumed) infection, the underlying disease or the group of antibiotics being used.

The value of infectious diseases specialists: non-patient care activities

Recent developments in health care have focused efforts on both the national and local levels to reduce unnecessary health care costs and the number of hospital stays while increasing the quality of care, particularly in the context of hospital-associated infections. Infectious diseases specialists who contract to oversee infection-control and antibiotic-stewardship programs are uniquely positioned to play a pivotal role in helping hospitals to prosper in this new environment. This article will detail the available data supporting the value of infectious diseases specialists in their roles of directing antimicrobial-management and infection-control programs, maintaining health care workers' well-being, and minimizing exposure. The evidence in support of the influence of infectious diseases specialists to achieve cost-savings, decrease the length of hospital stays, and improve outcomes is robust and can be used as the framework for negotiating appropriate compensation from hospital management for these activities. Presenting this information in an amicable but definitive framework may be the linchpin to the overall success of the movement to improve quality of care while minimizing hospital costs and antimicrobial use. Developing this ability is critical to infectious diseases specialists' success as they redefine their role in the quality-of-care and risk-management arenas.

Antimicrobial resistance: international control strategies, with a focus on limited-resource settings

Microorganisms resistant to multiple anti-infective agents have increased worldwide. These organisms threaten both optimal care of patients with infection as well as the viability of current healthcare systems. In addition, antimicrobials are valuable resources that enhance both prevention and treatment of infections. As resistance diminishes this resource, it is a societal goal to minimise resistance and therefore to reduce forces that produce resistance. This review considers strategies for minimising resistance that are needed at several different levels of responsibility, ranging from the patient care provider to international agencies. It then describes responses that might be appropriate according to the resources available for control, focusing on limited-resource settings. Antimicrobial resistance represents an international concern. Response to this problem demands concerted efforts from multiple sectors both in developed and developing countries, as well as the strengthening of multinational/international partnerships and regulations. Both medical and public health agencies should be in the forefront of these efforts.

Limited efficacy of a nonrestricted intervention on antimicrobial prescription of commonly used antibiotics in the hospital setting: results of a randomized controlled trial

Most interventions aimed at diminishing the use of antimicrobials in hospitals have focussed on newly introduced antibiotics and very few have been randomly controlled. We evaluated the impact on antibiotic consumption of an intervention without restrictions in antibiotic use, focussed on commonly used antibiotics with a controlled randomized trial. All new prescriptions of levofloxacin, carbapenems, or vancomycin in hospitalized patients were randomized to an intervention or a control group. Intervention consisted of an antibiotic regimen counselling targeted to match local antibiotic guidelines, performed using only patients' charts. Clinical charts of patients assigned to the control group were reviewed daily by a pharmacist. The primary endpoint was a reduction in consumption of the targeted antibiotics. Two hundred seventy-eight prescriptions corresponding to 253 patients were included: 146 were assigned to the intervention and 132 to the control group. Total consumption of the targeted antibiotics (median [IQR]) was slightly lower in the intervention (8 [4-12] defined daily doses [DDDs] per patient) than in the control group (10 [6-16] DDDs per patient; p = 0.04). No differences in number of DDDs were observed when antibiotics of substitution were included (11.05 [6-18.2] vs 10 [6-16.5] in the intervention and control groups, respectively, p = 0.13). The total number of days on treatment with the targeted antibiotics was lower in the intervention (4 [3-7] days per patient) than in the control group (6 [4-10] days per patient; p = 0.002). Differences in number of days on treatment only reached statistical significance in the prescriptions of carbapenems. There were no differences between intervention and control groups in terms of number of deaths, hospital readmissions, length of hospital stay, or antibiotic costs. In this trial, an intervention without restrictions focussed on antimicrobial prescriptions of commonly used antibiotics in the hospital setting had a limited efficacy to reduce consumption and did not save costs. Future strategies to promote a more rational antimicrobial use should be evaluated with a randomized controlled design.

Concurrent acute illness and comorbid conditions poorly predict antibiotic use in upper respiratory tract infections: a cross-sectional analysis

Background

Inappropriate antibiotic use promotes resistance. Antibiotics are generally not indicated for upper respiratory infections (URIs). Our objectives were to describe patterns of URI treatment and to identify patient and provider factors associated with antibiotic use for URIs.

Methods

This study was a cross-sectional analysis of medical and pharmacy claims data from the Pennsylvania Medicaid fee-for-service program database. We identified Pennsylvania Medicaid recipients with a URI office visit over a one-year period. Our outcome variable was antibiotic use within seven days after the URI visit. Study variables included URI type and presence of concurrent acute illnesses and chronic conditions. We considered the associations of each study variable with antibiotic use in a logistic regression model, stratifying by age group and adjusting for confounders.

Results

Among 69,936 recipients with URI, 35,786 (51.2%) received an antibiotic. In all age groups, acute sinusitis, chronic sinusitis, otitis, URI type and season were associated with antibiotic use. Except for the oldest group, physician specialty and streptococcal pharyngitis were associated with antibiotic use. History of chronic conditions was not associated with antibiotic use in any age group. In all age groups, concurrent acute illnesses and history of chronic conditions had only had fair to poor ability to distinguish patients who received an antibiotic from patients who did not.

Conclusion

Antibiotic prevalence for URIs was high, indicating that potentially inappropriate antibiotic utilization is occurring. Our data suggest that demographic and clinical factors are associated with antibiotic use, but additional reasons remain unexplained. Insight regarding reasons for antibiotic prescribing is needed to develop interventions to address the growing problem of antibiotic resistance.

Point prevalence survey of antibiotic use in Scottish hospitals utilising the Glasgow Antimicrobial Audit Tool (GAAT)

A point prevalence survey of antimicrobial prescribing was performed in 10 Scottish hospitals using the Glasgow Antimicrobial Audit Tool (GAAT). Appropriateness of the intravenous (IV) route was determined by an infectious diseases physician (IDP) and by a computerised algorithm. The IDP also estimated IV agent appropriateness. Each hospital was surveyed on a single day. Of 3826 patients surveyed, 1079 (28.3%) received an antibiotic, 381 (35.3%) intravenously; 197 (28.2%) orally treated had prior IV therapy. Median duration of IV was 4 days (IQR 2-7 days) and oral switch was 3.5 days (2-6). IV route was appropriate in 84% (IDP) and 84.8% (algorithm). Choice of agent was appropriate in 80% (IDP). Third-generation cephalosporins (3GC) (28.3%) were most frequent, followed by co-amoxiclav (20.2%), metronidazole (19.2%) and glycopeptides (18.6%). Regional differences were seen. The study shows it is possible to coordinate, collect and compare data from UK hospitals using the GAAT. Data may usefully inform local and national audit and support prescribing initiatives.

Clinical and economic outcomes of pharmaceutical services related to antibiotic use: a literature review

AIM OF THE REVIEW

To identify and review the clinical and economic impact of pharmacists' interventions on antibiotic use.

METHOD

A literature search was conducted on Medline (1966-2003) to identify original articles measuring the impact of pharmacists' interventions on antimicrobial therapy at patient's or prescriber's level.

RESULTS

Forty-three articles were included: 20 uncontrolled before-after studies, four controlled before-after studies, five controlled trials, 12 randomized controlled trials and two interrupted time series (ITS). The described interventions were grouped into four categories: patient-specific recommendations (pharmacists' interventions concerning patient-specific drug therapy), implementation of policies, education, and therapeutic drug monitoring. These interventions were often combined to provide a multifaceted intervention, making it difficult to isolate the impact of one specific intervention. Measured outcomes were: appropriateness of prescribing (evaluated in 17 studies, 16 showing significant improvement), costs (analysed in 22 studies, nine showing a statistically significant reduction in costs after or with the intervention), and length of hospital stay (mixed results). Other measured outcomes were: drug use, prescriptions, length of treatment, dose intervals, switch to oral route, mortality rate, and treatment failure.

CONCLUSION

Over the years, the number of studies and quality of methodology has increased. The most frequently observed outcomes with a positive impact were appropriateness of prescribing and cost savings. The vast majority of studies used multiple interventions, in conjunction with pharmacists' recommendations to physicians. Coupled with the use of practice guidelines or educational strategies, these interventions demonstrated a positive impact on economic or clinical outcomes. However, the data are still sparse and sometimes contradictory; therefore, further studies with randomized controlled designs are needed.

Pilot study of a web-based antibiotic decision management guide

BACKGROUND

Use of electronic medical information resources by health-care professionals is increasing. Portable handheld computers have facilitated access to medical knowledge at the point of patient care. Little is known about the impact of mobile medical information tools on physician learning or improvement in decision-making.

STUDY DESIGN

A 6-month prospective, randomized pilot study of 12 first-year trauma and critical care Fellows at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center was conducted from November 1, 2001 to May 31, 2002 at the University of Maryland. Six Fellows were randomized to use the Johns Hopkins Antibiotic Guide (JHABX) on the RIM Blackberry personal digital assistant (PDA) for 6 months of their clinical rotation. Six Fellows were randomized to the non-PDA-use arm. Three-month and 6-month examination raw scores on knowledge of infectious diseases management among Blackberry PDA users versus non-PDA users were obtained. Measurement of antibiotic decision accuracy by diagnosis at 3 and 6 months among Fellows randomized to use the JHABX on the RIM Blackberry PDA was also evaluated.

RESULTS

PDA group demonstrated a considerable improvement in test scores over the 3-month time interval, compared with their baseline score (40.8 +/- 2.3 versus 34.3 +/- 4.6, p < 0.05) and compared with the non-PDA group (40.8 +/- 2.3 versus 36.8 +/- 3.3, p < 0.01). Improvement became even more notable at the 6-month interval again, compared with themselves (43.8 +/- 4.5 versus 34.3, p < 0.001) and the non-PDA group (43.8 +/- 4.5 versus 38.1 +/- 5.1, p < 0.001). There was no notable improvement in test scores at 3 months or 6 months in the control group. Overall antibiotic decision accuracy substantially improved from 66% during the initial 3-month period to 86.6% during the second 3-month period (p = 0.005) among users of the JHABX. This was most evident in respiratory, blood, and skin and soft tissue infections.

CONCLUSIONS

Web-based handheld technology is highly effective for supplying information to support infectious disease clinical practice. In a hospital intensive care setting, results of this study demonstrate that resident physician knowledge and antibiotic decision selection accuracy improved among Fellows using the JHABX. Reasons for this difference can be multifold and not thoroughly evaluated from this small pilot study. Future studies on the impact of point-of-care technology on patient outcomes are warranted.

Antimicrobial stewardship programs in health care systems

Antimicrobial stewardship programs in hospitals seek to optimize antimicrobial prescribing in order to improve individual patient care as well as reduce hospital costs and slow the spread of antimicrobial resistance. With antimicrobial resistance on the rise worldwide and few new agents in development, antimicrobial stewardship programs are more important than ever in ensuring the continued efficacy of available antimicrobials. The design of antimicrobial management programs should be based on the best current understanding of the relationship between antimicrobial use and resistance. Such programs should be administered by multidisciplinary teams composed of infectious diseases physicians, clinical pharmacists, clinical microbiologists, and infection control practitioners and should be actively supported by hospital administrators. Strategies for changing antimicrobial prescribing behavior include education of prescribers regarding proper antimicrobial usage, creation of an antimicrobial formulary with restricted prescribing of targeted agents, and review of antimicrobial prescribing with feedback to prescribers. Clinical computer systems can aid in the implementation of each of these strategies, especially as expert systems able to provide patient-specific data and suggestions at the point of care. Antibiotic rotation strategies control the prescribing process by scheduled changes of antimicrobial classes used for empirical therapy. When instituting an antimicrobial stewardship program, a hospital should tailor its choice of strategies to its needs and available resources.

Reliability of assessment of adherence to an antimicrobial treatment guideline

Assessment procedures for adherence to a guideline must be reliable and credible. The aim of this study was to explore the reliability of assessment of adherence, taking account of the professional backgrounds of the observers. A secondary analysis explored the impact of case characteristics on assessment. Six observers (two hospital pharmacists, two internists and two clinical microbiologists) assessed a random sample of 22 prescriptions made to infectious disease cases admitted to a department of internal medicine between February and August 2001. Agreement between observers with regard to adherence of these prescriptions to guideline recommendations concerning drug choice, duration of treatment, dosage and route of administration was measured using Cohen's kappa. Case characteristics were compared between cases where observers agreed and disagreed with two-sided Fisher's exact test. Agreement between all professionals was moderate for drug choice (0.59), fair for duration of therapy (0.36), moderate for dosage (0.48), and fair for route of administration (0.37). Agreement on drug choice was good within (0.75 and 0.83) and between (0.74) the internists and the hospital pharmacists, but was less within (0.31) the clinical microbiologists and between the clinical microbiologists and the internists (0.44) and the hospital pharmacists (0.42). Within the clinical microbiologists, agreement was good for dosage (0.79) and route of administration (0.66). There was frequent disagreement between observers regarding cases with combination therapy and non-immunocompromised patients. Despite the small number of cases, our results suggest that internists and hospital pharmacists can reliably be used to assess adherence for drug choice. The level of agreement seems to be affected by combination therapy and the immune status of the patient.

[Impact of a non-compulsory antibiotic control program (PACTA): cost reductions and decreases in some nosocomial infections]

BACKGROUND

Antibiotics account for 30% of hospital pharmacy expenses. More than 50% of the prescriptions are considered inappropriate; hence, programs devoted to optimizing the prescription of antibiotics should be developed. We present the results of a non-compulsory program for the assessment and control of antibiotic treatment in the University Hospital 12 de Octubre in Madrid.

METHODS

The program was applied in the hospitalization units of six medical and surgical departments. Treatments in all patients were checked daily and recommendations were made in writing, according to previously established criteria. The program was used for 12 months and the results were compared with those of the previous 12 months.

RESULTS

1,280 treatments were reviewed and 524 recommendations were made (80% of them were accepted). There was a 13.82% reduction in the number of defined daily doses of antibiotics/100 inpatient-days. Antibiotic expenditure decreased by 65,352 euros (5,446 euros/month), implying a reduction of 1.21 euros/hospitalization-bed/day. There were no statistically significant differences in length of hospital stay or mortality between the two periods. A reduction in the incidence of Clostridium difficile diarrhea (p < 0.0001) and Candida spp. isolations (p < 0.05) was observed.

CONCLUSIONS

Following application of a non-compulsory control program, antibiotic prescription improved and expenditure decreased, with no change in length of hospital stay or mortality. There was a reduction in the incidence of some nosocomial infections. Acceptation of the program by the physicians of the departments implicated was favorable.