Evidence of clinical and economic impact of pharmacist interventions related to antimicrobials in the hospital setting

Pharmacist-led antimicrobial stewardship programme in a small hospital without infectious diseases physicians

Pharmacists may be tasked to lead antibiotic stewardship programmes (ASP) implementation in small hospitals in absence of infectious diseases (ID) physicians. The objectives are to evaluate the effectiveness of a pharmacist-led ASP in a hospital without ID physician support, with special focus on indicators of the hospital use of antimicrobial agents based on consumption and asess the potential clinical and economic impact of pharmacist interventions (PIs) through the CLEO tool. A prospective quasi-experimental study to implement an ASP in a 194-bed hospital. We evaluated changes in antimicrobial use measured as mean defined daily doses per 1000 patient-days (AUD) for intervention versus preintervention period. A total of 847 antimicrobial PIs were proposed, being 88.3% accepted. Discontinuation due to excessive duration was the most frequently performed PI (23.4%). Most of PIs was classified as major or moderate clinical impact, 41.7% and 37.8% respectively. The global consumption of antimicrobial was reduced from 907.1 to 693.8 AUD, with a signifcant drop in carbapenems and quinolones. Direct expenditure of antibiotics decreased significantly. Pharmacist-led ASP has being effective in reducing consumption of antibiotics. In the absence of ID physician´s support and oversight, pharmacists could lead the improvement of the use of antimicrobials.

In-Hospital Macro-, Meso-, and Micro-Drivers and Interventions for Antibiotic Use and Resistance: A Rapid Evidence Synthesis of Data from Canada and Other OECD Countries

Hospitals continue to face challenges in reducing incorrect antibiotic use due to social and cultural factors at the level of the health system, the care facility, the provider, and the patient. The objective of this paper is to highlight the social and cultural drivers of antimicrobial use and resistance and targeted interventions for secondary and tertiary care settings in Canada and other OECD countries. This paper is an extension of the synthesis conducted for the Public Health Agency of Canada's 2019 Spotlight Report: Preserving Antibiotics Now and Into the Future. We conducted a systematic review with a few modifications to meet rapid timelines. We conducted a search in Ovid MEDLINE and McMaster University's evidence databases for systematic reviews and then for individual Canadian studies. To cast a wider net, we searched OECD organization websites and screened reference lists from systematic reviews. We synthesized the evidence narratively and categorized the evidence into macro-, meso-, and microlevel. A total of 70 studies were (a) from OCED countries and summarized evidence of potential sociocultural antimicrobial resistance and use barriers or facilitators and/or interventions addressing these challenges; (b) systematic reviews with 50% of included studies that are situated in secondary and tertiary settings; and (c) published in Canada's two official languages, English and French. We found that hospital structures and policies may influence antibiotic utilization and variations in antimicrobial management. Microlevel factors may sway inappropriate prescribing among clinicians. The amount and type of antibiotics used may affect resistance rates. Interventions were mainly comprised of antibiotic stewardship and training that modify clinician behavior and that educate patients and carers. This evidence synthesis illustrates the various drivers of, and interventions for, antimicrobial use and resistance at the macro-, meso-, and microlevel in secondary and tertiary settings. We demonstrate that upstream drivers may lead to downstream events that influence antimicrobial resistance.