Effect of communication errors during calls to an antimicrobial stewardship program

Can Chatbot Artificial Intelligence Replace Infectious Diseases Physicians in the Management of Bloodstream Infections? A Prospective Cohort Study

BACKGROUND

The development of chatbot artificial intelligence (AI) has raised major questions about their use in healthcare. We assessed the quality and safety of the management suggested by Chat Generative Pre-training Transformer 4 (ChatGPT-4) in real-life practice for patients with positive blood cultures.

METHODS

Over a 4-week period in a tertiary care hospital, data from consecutive infectious diseases (ID) consultations for a first positive blood culture were prospectively provided to ChatGPT-4. Data were requested to propose a comprehensive management plan (suspected/confirmed diagnosis, workup, antibiotic therapy, source control, follow-up). We compared the management plan suggested by ChatGPT-4 with the plan suggested by ID consultants based on literature and guidelines. Comparisons were performed by 2 ID physicians not involved in patient management.

RESULTS

Forty-four cases with a first episode of positive blood culture were included. ChatGPT-4 provided detailed and well-written responses in all cases. AI's diagnoses were identical to those of the consultant in 26 (59%) cases. Suggested diagnostic workups were satisfactory (ie, no missing important diagnostic tests) in 35 (80%) cases; empirical antimicrobial therapies were adequate in 28 (64%) cases and harmful in 1 (2%). Source control plans were inadequate in 4 (9%) cases. Definitive antibiotic therapies were optimal in 16 (36%) patients and harmful in 2 (5%). Overall, management plans were considered optimal in only 1 patient, as satisfactory in 17 (39%), and as harmful in 7 (16%).

CONCLUSIONS

The use of ChatGPT-4 without consultant input remains hazardous when seeking expert medical advice in 2023, especially for severe IDs.

Antimicrobial Stewardship in the Hospital Setting: A Narrative Review

The increasing global threat of antibiotic resistance, which has resulted in countless fatalities due to untreatable infections, underscores the urgent need for a strategic action plan. The acknowledgment that humanity is perilously approaching the "End of the Miracle Drugs" due to the unjustifiable overuse and misuse of antibiotics has prompted a critical reassessment of their usage. In response, numerous relevant medical societies have initiated a concerted effort to combat resistance by implementing antibiotic stewardship programs within healthcare institutions, grounded in evidence-based guidelines and designed to guide antibiotic utilization. Crucial to this initiative is the establishment of multidisciplinary teams within each hospital, led by a dedicated Infectious Diseases physician. This team includes clinical pharmacists, clinical microbiologists, hospital epidemiologists, infection control experts, and specialized nurses who receive intensive training in the field. These teams have evidence-supported strategies aiming to mitigate resistance, such as conducting prospective audits and providing feedback, including the innovative 'Handshake Stewardship' approach, implementing formulary restrictions and preauthorization protocols, disseminating educational materials, promoting antibiotic de-escalation practices, employing rapid diagnostic techniques, and enhancing infection prevention and control measures. While initial outcomes have demonstrated success in reducing resistance rates, ongoing research is imperative to explore novel stewardship interventions.

Survey on infectious disease telephone hotlines in primary care: General practitioners' satisfaction and compliance with advice

OBJECTIVES

Infectious disease (ID) advice is a major part of antimicrobial stewardship programs. The objective of this study was to assess general practitioners' (GPs)' opinions and compliance with advice given by ID hotlines.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This multicenter survey was based on the 7-day assessment of initial advice requested by GPs to a hotline set up by volunteer hospital ID teams to record advice for 3 years. The primary endpoint was the GPs' satisfaction with the advice given by ID specialists.

RESULTS

Ten ID teams participated in the study and recorded 4138 requests for advice, of which 1325 requests included a proposal for antibiotic therapy and justified a follow-up call at seven days. Only 398 follow-up calls (30%) were carried out because many GPs were not reachable. GPs were very satisfied with ID hotlines: 58% considered them indispensable and 38% very useful. The recommendations provided by ID specialists were followed by GPs in more than 80% of cases. The two main motivations for GPs to call the hotline were to get quick advice (86%) and to receive help in managing a patient (76%).

CONCLUSIONS

The ID telephone consultations and advice systems for GPs are highly appreciated and are effective in terms of following the recommendations.

National Disparities in Antibiotic Prescribing by Race, Ethnicity, Age Group, and Sex in United States Ambulatory Care Visits, 2009 to 2016

While efforts have been made in the United States (US) to optimize antimicrobial use, few studies have explored antibiotic prescribing disparities that may drive future interventions. The objective of this study was to evaluate disparities in antibiotic prescribing among US ambulatory care visits by patient subgroups. This was a retrospective, cross-sectional study utilizing the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey from 2009 to 2016. Antibiotic use was described as antibiotic visits per 1000 total patient visits. The appropriateness of antibiotic prescribing was determined by ICD-9 or ICD-10 codes assigned during the visit. Subgroup analyses were conducted by patient race, ethnicity, age group, and sex. Over 7.0 billion patient visits were included; 11.3% included an antibiotic prescription. Overall and inappropriate antibiotic prescription rates were highest in Black (122.2 and 78.0 per 1000) and Hispanic patients (138.6 and 79.8 per 1000). Additionally, overall antibiotic prescription rates were highest in patients less than 18 years (169.6 per 1000) and female patients (114.1 per 1000), while inappropriate antibiotic prescription rates were highest in patients 18 to 64 years (66.0 per 1000) and in males (64.8 per 1000). In this nationally representative study, antibiotic prescribing disparities were found by patient race, ethnicity, age group, and sex.

The feasibility of implementing antibiotic restrictions for fluoroquinolones and cephalosporins: a mixed-methods study across 15 Veterans Health Administration hospitals

INTRODUCTION

The optimal method for implementing hospital-level restrictions for antibiotics that carry a high risk of Clostridioides difficile infection has not been identified. We aimed to explore barriers and facilitators to implementing restrictions for fluoroquinolones and third/fourth-generation cephalosporins.

METHODS

This mixed-methods study across a purposeful sample of 15 acute-care, geographically dispersed Veterans Health Administration hospitals included electronic surveys and semi-structured interviews (September 2018 to May 2019). Surveys on stewardship strategies were administered at each hospital and summarized with descriptive statistics. Interviews were performed with 30 antibiotic stewardship programme (ASP) champions across all 15 sites and 19 additional stakeholders at a subset of 5 sites; transcripts were analysed using thematic content analysis.

RESULTS

The most restricted agent was moxifloxacin, which was restricted at 12 (80%) sites. None of the 15 hospitals restricted ceftriaxone. Interviews identified differing opinions on the feasibility of restricting third/fourth-generation cephalosporins and fluoroquinolones. Some participants felt that restrictions could be implemented in a way that was not burdensome to clinicians and did not interfere with timely antibiotic administration. Others expressed concerns about restricting these agents, particularly through prior approval, given their frequent use, the difficulty of enforcing restrictions and potential unintended consequences of steering clinicians towards non-restricted antibiotics. A variety of stewardship strategies were perceived to be effective at reducing the use of these agents.

CONCLUSIONS

Across 15 hospitals, there were differing opinions on the feasibility of implementing antibiotic restrictions for third/fourth-generation cephalosporins and fluoroquinolones. While the perceived barrier to implementing restrictions was frequently high, many hospitals were effectively using restrictions and reported few barriers to their use.

Pharmacist-led education-based antimicrobial stewardship interventions and their effect on antimicrobial use in hospital inpatients: a systematic review and narrative synthesis

BACKGROUND

Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programmes optimize antimicrobial use and address antimicrobial resistance. Pharmacists are often key agents of these programmes. The effectiveness of hospital-based AMS interventions when they are led by pharmacists, however, has not previously been reported.

AIM

To evaluate the effectiveness of pharmacist-led AMS interventions in improving antimicrobial use for hospital inpatients.

METHODS

Standard systematic review methods were used. The search strategies and databases used in a previous Cochrane review were applied. Studies that reported pharmacist-led AMS interventions were included. Narrative synthesis was used to report the findings. PRISMA guidelines were followed.

FINDINGS

From 6971 records retrieved and screened, 52 full-text articles were included. Most studies were undertaken in teaching hospitals (N = 45) and many were conducted in North America (N = 27). Most interventions targeted junior or ward physicians and lasted between one and six months. All studies evaluated educational interventions often in combination with other interventions and reported improvements 'in compliance with target AMS practice'. Greater compliance was achieved with multiple interventions. Pharmacist-led interventions reduced the duration of antimicrobial therapy without increasing mortality. No consistency of evidence was achieved in relation to interventions and reduced duration of hospital stay, nor infections due to antimicrobial resistance or occurrence of Clostridium difficile.

CONCLUSION

This is the first systematic review to evaluate the effectiveness of pharmacist-led AMS interventions in hospital inpatients. Education-based interventions were effective in increasing guideline compliance and reducing duration of antimicrobial therapy. Future hospital-based AMS programmes should consider the involvement of pharmacists to deliver and promote AMS interventions and programmes.

Antimicrobial stewardship capacity and manpower needs in the Asia Pacific

OBJECTIVES

Antimicrobial stewardship is a strategy to combat antimicrobial resistance in hospitals. Given the burden and impact of antimicrobial resistance in the Asia Pacific, it is important to document capacity and gaps in antimicrobial stewardship programmes (ASP). We aimed to understand existing capacities and practices, and define the resources needed to establish antimicrobial stewardship where it is lacking.

METHODS

An anonymous online survey, consisting of questions on antimicrobial control at country, hospital and programme levels, was circulated to healthcare providers in the field of infectious diseases and microbiology through Asian Network for Surveillance of Resistant Pathogens, ReAct Group and the Australasian Society for infectious Diseases.

RESULTS

139 participants from 16 countries or regions completed the survey. The majority of participants were adult infectious diseases physicians (61/139, 43.9%) and microbiologists (31/139, 22.3%). Participants from 7 countries reported that antimicrobials can be obtained without prescriptions. Despite the high percentage (75.5%) of respondents working in large hospitals, only 22/139 participants (15.8%) from Australia, China, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam reported having more than 10 infectious diseases physicians. Hospital empiric antimicrobial guidelines for common infections were available according to 110/139 (79.1%) participants. Pre-authorisation of antimicrobials was reported by 88/113 (77.9%) respondents while prospective audit and feedback was reported by 93/114 (81.6%). Automatic stop orders and culture-guided de-escalation were reported by only 52/113 (46.0%) and 27/112 (24.1%) respectively.

CONCLUSION

The survey reveals a wide range of ASP development in Asia Pacific. Establishing national workgroups and guidelines will help advance antimicrobial stewardship in this diverse region.

Legal implications of antibiotic stewardship programs

Infectious diseases professional societies, public health agencies, and healthcare regulatory agencies call for antibiotic stewardship programs (ASP) in many healthcare settings. However, medical legal implications of these programs remain largely uncharted territory. Although there is no legal precedent addressing issues of liability and standards of care on this subject, anticipating how the courts may assess questions of medical liability with respect to the various components of ASPs is important to define best practices in ASP operations, not only to manage the potential risk but also to improve patient care. This article seeks to address some of the common processes and interventions involved in antibiotic stewardship and the potential professional liability implications of these activities.

Finding "What's Wrong With Us": Antibiotic Prescribing Practice Among Physicians in the United States

Antibiotic stewardship-or the responsible use of antibiotics-has been touted as a solution to the problem of antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic stewardship in medical institutions attempts to change the antibiotic prescribing "behaviors" and "habits" of physicians. Interventions abound targeting "problem prescribers," or those physicians whose practice is out of line with physician peers. Thus, the locus of decision-making in antibiotic prescribing is thought to be the found with the individual physician. Based on 18 months of participant observation and in-depth interviewing of antibiotic-prescribing physicians at two medical institutions in the United States, this paper will question notions of antibiotic stewardship that center on individual "behaviors" and "habits." Many physicians have taken to heart a reductionist approach in studies of antibiotic prescribing, including several physicians I encountered during research who enthusiastically located the benefit of my research in the ability to identify "what's wrong with us." In this paper, I use two representative ethnographic case studies to argue that antibiotic stewardship interventions aimed at identifying and correcting "bad" physician practice limit the possibilities of understanding the social dynamics of the institution. Through an analysis of everyday encounters in the hospital setting, I show how decision-making in antibiotic prescribing can more productively be located between and among institutions, physicians, patient charts, and other hospital-based staff members (e.g., pharmacists, nurses). By demonstrating that antibiotic prescribing is a collective practice occurring through engagement with social and material surroundings, I argue that we can better account for the weighted ways in which social action and relations unfold over time.

Variable impact of an antimicrobial stewardship programme in three intensive care units: time-series analysis of 2012-2017 surveillance data

BACKGROUND

Preprescription authorization (PPA) and postprescription review with feedback (PPRF) were successively implemented in 2012 and 2016 in our 1500-bed hospital.

AIM

The impact of PPA and PPRF on carbapenems use and resistance levels of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was assessed in three intensive care units (ICUs).

METHODS

Carbapenems use (in DDDs/1000 occupied bed-days) and resistance of P. aeruginosa (percentage of non-susceptible (I+R) isolates to imipenem and/or meropenem) were analysed using a controlled interrupted time-series method. Two periods were compared: 2012-2015 (PPA) and 2016-2017 (PPA+PPRF). Models were adjusted on the annual incidence of extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing enterobacteriacae.

FINDINGS

Carbapenem use was stable over the PPA period in all ICUs, with a significant change of slope over the PPA+PPRF period only in ICU1 (β2 = -12.8, 95% confidence interval (CI) = -19.5 to -6.1). There was a switch from imipenem to meropenem during the PPA period in all three units. Resistances of P. aeruginosa were stable over the study period in ICU1 and ICU2, and significantly decreased over the PPA+PPRF period in ICU3 (β2 = -0.18, CI = -0.3 to -0.03).

CONCLUSION

In real-life conditions and with the same antimicrobial stewardship programme (AMSP) led by a single team, the impact of PPRF was heterogeneous between ICUs. Factors driving the impact of AMSPs should be further assessed in comparable settings through real-life data, to target where they could prove cost-effective.

Practices, organisation, and regulatory aspects in advising on antibiotic prescription: the international ESCMID AntibioLegalMap survey

PURPOSE

Giving advice about antibiotic prescription through dedicated consultations is a cornerstone of antibiotic stewardship programmes. Our objective was to explore practices, organisation, and regulatory requirements related to antibiotic advising.

METHODS

We performed an international, exploratory, Internet-based, cross-sectional survey targeting infectious diseases and clinical microbiology specialists. It was disseminated through ESCMID and ESGAP networks.

RESULTS

Answers from 830 participants (74 countries, 77% of participants from Europe) were collected. Consultations were mostly given on demand (81%, 619/764), while unsolicited consultations targeting specific conditions (e.g., positive blood culture) were less frequent (66%, 501/764). Consultations usually included indications on diagnostic work-up and follow-up (> 79%). Curbside consultations (i.e., without examining the patient) were reported by 82% (598/733) of respondents, mainly by phone (89%, 531/598). The referring physician was considered authorised not to follow the advice by 57% (383/676). Direct consultations (i.e., after examining the patient) were recorded in the medical file more frequently than curbside consultations (69%, 472/689 vs 35%, 206/592). Concerning legal liability, the majority of respondents considered that it is shared between the adviser and the referring physician, who, however, is considered primarily responsible. The advisers' liability was considered to be lower in cases of curbside and unrecorded consultations. Significant inter-countries and intra-country variability were identified, suggesting that the setting markedly influenced practices.

CONCLUSION

Significant variability exists in the practice of antibiotic advising. This concerns both the organisation of care and how advisers perceive regulatory requirements. These elements must be taken into account when implementing antibiotic stewardship programmes and when training stewards.

Factors associated with adherence to antimicrobial stewardship after-hours

OBJECTIVES

Assess restricted antimicrobials acquired after standard working hours for adherence to antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) and identify factors associated with increased likelihood of adherence at the time of acquisition, and the next standard working day.

METHODS

All documented antimicrobials acquired from a paediatric hospital after-hours drug room from 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015 were reconciled with records of AMS approval, and documented AMS review in the medical record.

KEY FINDINGS

Of the 758 antimicrobial acquisitions from the after-hours drug room, 62.3% were restricted. Only 29% were AMS adherent at the time of acquisition, 15% took place despite documented request for approval by a pharmacist. Antimicrobials for respiratory patients (OR 3.10, 95% CI 1.68-5.5) and antifungals (2.48, 95% CI 1.43-4.30) were more likely to be AMS adherent. Half of the acquisitions that required review the next standard working day were adherent to AMS (51.8%, 129/249). Weekday acquisitions (2.10, 95% CI 1.20-3.69) and those for patients in paediatric intensive care (2.26, 95% CI 1.07-4.79) were associated with AMS adherence. Interactions with pharmacists prior to acquisition did not change the likelihood of AMS adherence the next standard working day. Access to restricted antimicrobial held as routine ward stock did not change the likelihood of AMS adherence at the time of acquisition, or the next standard working day.

CONCLUSION

Restricted antimicrobials acquired after-hours are not routinely AMS adherent at the time of acquisition or the next standard working day, limiting opportunities for AMS involvement.

Long-Term Impact of an Educational Antimicrobial Stewardship Program on Hospital-Acquired Candidemia and Multidrug-Resistant Bloodstream Infections: A Quasi-Experimental Study of Interrupted Time-Series Analysis

Background

The global crisis of bacterial resistance urges the scientific community to implement intervention programs in healthcare facilities to promote an appropriate use of antibiotics. However, the clinical benefits or the impact on resistance of these interventions has not been definitively proved.

Methods

We designed a quasi-experimental intervention study with an interrupted time-series analysis. A multidisciplinary team conducted a multifaceted educational intervention in our tertiary-care hospital over a 5-year period. The main activity of the program consisted of peer-to-peer educational interviews between counselors and prescribers from all departments to reinforce the principles of the proper use of antibiotics. We assessed antibiotic consumption, incidence density of Candida and multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria bloodstream infections (BSIs) and their crude death rate per 1000 occupied bed days (OBDs).

Results

A quick and intense reduction in antibiotic consumption occurred 6 months after the implementation of the intervention (change in level, -216.8 defined daily doses per 1000 OBDs; 95% confidence interval, -347.5 to -86.1), and was sustained during subsequent years (average reduction, -19,9%). In addition, the increasing trend observed in the preintervention period for the incidence density of candidemia and MDR BSI (+0.018 cases per 1000 OBDs per quarter; 95% confidence interval, -.003 to .039) reverted toward a decreasing trend of -0.130 per quarter (change in slope, -0.029; -.051 to -.008), and so did the mortality rate (change in slope, -0.015; -.021 to -.008).

Conclusions

This education-based antimicrobial stewardship program was effective in decreasing the incidence and mortality rate of hospital-acquired candidemia and MDR BSI through sustained reduction in antibiotic use.

Control of Infectious Diseases in the Era of European Clinical Microbiology Laboratory Consolidation: New Challenges and Opportunities for the Patient and for Public Health Surveillance

Many new innovative diagnostic approaches have been made available during the last 10 years with major impact on patient care and public health surveillance. In parallel, to enhance the cost-effectiveness of the clinical microbiology laboratories (CMLs), European laboratory professionals have streamlined their organization leading to amalgamation of activities and restructuring of their professional relationships with clinicians and public health specialists. Through this consolidation process, an operational model has emerged that combines large centralized clinical laboratories performing most tests on one high-throughput analytical platform connected to several distal laboratories dealing locally with urgent analyses at near point of care. The centralization of diagnostic services over a large geographical region has given rise to the concept of regional-scale "microbiology laboratories network." Although the volume-driven cost savings associated with such laboratory networks seem self-evident, the consequence(s) for the quality of patient care and infectious disease surveillance and control remain less obvious. In this article, we describe the range of opportunities that the changing landscape of CMLs in Europe can contribute toward improving the quality of patient care but also the early detection and enhanced surveillance of public health threats caused by infectious diseases. The success of this transformation of health services is reliant on the appropriate preparation in terms of staff, skills, and processes that would be inclusive of stakeholders. In addition, rigorous metrics are needed to set out more concrete laboratory service performance objectives and assess the expected benefits to society in terms of saving lives and preventing diseases.

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.

Implementing an Antibiotic Stewardship Program: Guidelines by the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America

Evidence-based guidelines for implementation and measurement of antibiotic stewardship interventions in inpatient populations including long-term care were prepared by a multidisciplinary expert panel of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. The panel included clinicians and investigators representing internal medicine, emergency medicine, microbiology, critical care, surgery, epidemiology, pharmacy, and adult and pediatric infectious diseases specialties. These recommendations address the best approaches for antibiotic stewardship programs to influence the optimal use of antibiotics.

Diagnostic Errors that Lead to Inappropriate Antimicrobial Use

OBJECTIVE

We found previously that inappropriate inpatient antimicrobial use was often attributable to erroneous diagnoses. Here, we detail diagnostic errors and their relationship to inappropriate antimicrobial courses.

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study

SETTING

Veterans Affairs hospital

PATIENTS

A cohort of 500 randomly selected inpatients with an antimicrobial course

METHODS

Blinded reviewers judged the accuracy of the initial provider diagnosis for the condition that led to an antimicrobial course and whether the course was appropriate.

RESULTS

The diagnoses were correct in 291 cases (58%), incorrect in 156 cases (31%), and of indeterminate accuracy in 22 cases (4%). In the remaining 31 cases (6%), the diagnosis was a sign or symptom rather than a syndrome or disease. The odds ratio of a correct diagnosis was 4.3 (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.2–8.5) if the index condition was related to the reason for admission. When the diagnosis was correct, 181 of 292 courses (62%) were appropriate, compared with only 10 of 208 (5%) when the diagnosis was incorrect or indeterminate or when providers were treating a sign or symptom rather than a syndrome or disease (P<.001). Among the 309 cases in which antimicrobial courses were not appropriate, reasons varied by diagnostic accuracy; in 81 of 111 cases (73%) with a correct diagnosis, incorrect antimicrobial(s) were selected; in 166 of 198 other cases (84%), antimicrobial therapy was not indicated.

CONCLUSIONS

Diagnostic accuracy is important for optimal inpatient antimicrobial use. Antimicrobial stewardship strategies should help providers avoid diagnostic errors and know when antimicrobial therapy can be withheld safely.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2015;36(8):949–956

Antimicrobial resistance and stewardship

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to report on recent developments concerning promotion of initiatives to contain the spread of resistance to antimicrobial drugs.

Design/methodology/approach

– Narrative review.

Findings

– In 2014, an American executive order made combating antimicrobial resistance a national priority. While this and other developments convey a message of growing urgency, the core elements required and challenges ahead are neither new nor unexplored. The quantity and quality of antimicrobial stewardship research over the past decade has added little to what already was known. Suppressing evolution of emerging drug resistance and containing emergence of resistant strains as on-going activities to maintain a balance might be a more realistic statement of the problem than framing it as winning a war. It remains to be seen how well those in the front lines of healthcare epidemiology and infection control shape framing of this problem before American federal and state agencies respond to their presidential directive by relaying marching orders through laws, rules, regulations, financial incentives and penalties. It remains to be seen whether the next decade will be more successful than the last given a more recent emphasis on the strategy of bundling small sets of practical key measures into effect, and the involvement of public health departments in support of antimicrobial stewardship. Unlike a generation ago, it also is clear that international trade and travel make this a global problem. America cannot be expected to resolve emerging drug resistance alone even if containment efforts within its own borders are successful, but like other developed countries it can be expected to have vested self-interests in promoting global solutions to this complex problem.

Originality/value

– This report brings together recent American government policy decisions and insights from two noteworthy interdisciplinary conferences.

Use of a Computer Decision Support System and Antimicrobial Therapy Appropriateness

Objective.

To determine whether antimicrobial (AM) courses ordered with an antimicrobial computer decision support system (CDSS) were more likely to be appropriate than courses ordered without the CDSS.

Design.

Retrospective cohort study. Blinded expert reviewers judged whether AM courses were appropriate, considering drug selection, route, dose, and duration.

Setting.

A 279-bed university-affiliated Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital.

Patients.

A 500-patient random sample of inpatients who received a therapeutic AM course between October 2007 and September 2008.

Intervention.

An optional CDSS, available at the point of order entry in the VA computerized patient record system.

Results.

CDSS courses were significantly more likely to be appropriate (111/254, 44%) compared with non-CDSS courses (81/246, 33%, P = .013). Courses were more likely to be appropriate when the initial provider diagnosis of the condition being treated was correct (168/273, 62%) than when it was incorrect, uncertain, or a sign or symptom rather than a disease (24/227, 11%, P< .001). In multivariable analysis, CDSS-ordered courses were more likely to be appropriate than non-CDSS-ordered courses (odds ratio [OR], 1.83; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.13–2.98). Courses were also more likely to be judged appropriate when the initial provider diagnosis of the condition being treated was correct than when it was incorrect, uncertain, or a sign or symptom rather than a disease (OR, 3.56; 95% CI, 1.4-9.0).

Conclusions.

Use of the CDSS was associated with more appropriate AM use. To achieve greater improvements, strategies are needed to improve provider diagnoses of syndromes that are infectious or possibly infectious.

The impact of infectious disease specialists on antibiotic prescribing in hospitals

Given the current bacterial resistance crisis, antimicrobial stewardship programmes are of the utmost importance. We present a narrative review of the impact of infectious disease specialists (IDSs) on the quality and quantity of antibiotic use in acute-care hospitals, and discuss the main factors that could limit the efficacy of IDS recommendations. A total of 31 studies were included in this review, with a wide range of infections, hospital settings, and types of antibiotic prescription. Seven of 31 studies were randomized controlled trials, before/after controlled studies, or before/after uncontrolled studies with interrupted time-series analysis. In almost all studies, IDS intervention was associated with a significant improvement in the appropriateness of antibiotic prescribing as compared with prescriptions without any IDS input, and with decreased antibiotic consumption. Variability in the antibiotic prescribing practices of IDSs, informal (curbside) consultations and the involvement of junior IDSs are among the factors that could have an impact on the efficacy of IDS recommendations and on compliance rates, and deserve further investigation. We also discuss possible drawbacks of IDSs in acute-care hospitals that are rarely reported in the published literature. Overall, IDSs are valuable to antimicrobial stewardship programmes in hospitals, but their impact depends on many human and organizational factors.

Informal consultation at a teaching hospital infectious diseases department

INTRODUCTION

Informal consultations for advice in the infectious diseases department (IDD) induce a significant workload for physicians. Our aim was to retrospectively quantify and describe this activity in our institution.

METHOD

The data was obtained from files documented and faxed by physicians from October 2009 to May 2012. One thousand nine hundred and seventy-two files were included. The file was faxed to the IDD specialist, analyzed, then a telephone conversation allowed making precisions, and the documented form was faxed back.

RESULTS

The requests for advice concerned 39% of female and 61% of male patients with a mean age of 64±21 years. Twenty-nine percent of requests came from surgical departments and 71% from medical departments (P<0.01). The departments most frequently concerned were cardiology (10%), gastro-enterology (10%) and cardiovascular surgery (9.7%). The most frequent infections were urogenital (19%), osteoarticular (14%), and cardiovascular (11%). Forty-nine percent were considered as nosocomial and 25.3% were bacteremic. The requests concerned diagnostic aid in 16.2% of cases and therapeutic issues in 95.6%. The IDD specialist made therapeutic recommendation in 96.5% of cases and gave diagnostic advice in 43.7%. Treatment modification was suggested in 38.5% of cases. Twenty-two percent of consultations required a second one.

CONCLUSION

This study documented the importance of antibiotic changes among medical and surgical units, the increasing need of these units to be helped, and also the complexity of the medical cases, all requiring the advice of an ID specialist. Our fax-phone-fax procedure seems to prevent the bias associated with informal consultations by phone, which is the most commonly used in other institutions.

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.

Evaluation of programmatic changes to an antimicrobial stewardship program with house officer feedback

RATIONALE, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

A collegial relationship between prescribers and antimicrobial stewards, along with an appreciation of the importance of antimicrobial stewardship, is essential for optimal functioning of an antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP). Programmatic adjustments based on feedback may be beneficial to the success of ASPs. The objective of this study is to assess the experience of house officers with the ASP and the effect of programmatic improvements.

METHODS

A survey of house officers at an academic medical centre was conducted assessing their experience with the ASP before (2008) and after (2010) programmatic interventions were instituted.

RESULTS

Of 225 house officer surveys sent, we received 97 responses (88% from medical doctors). The majority indicated that ASP was either very or somewhat important in fighting antibiotic resistance (100%), improving patient care (97%), preventing medication errors (91%) and containing health care costs (89%). Ninety-one per cent indicated either a very good or good educational experience with the ASP. The ASP often reminded respondents of a patient's allergy (31%), to adjust for renal function (78%), and 38% were prevented from making a medication error. Comparing 2008 and 2010, a higher proportion of respondents in 2010 said they had a very good or good educational experience with ASP [84% versus 98%, odds ratio (OR) = 8.40, P = 0.022] and a lower proportion of respondents reported confusion about ASP procedures (59% versus 39%, OR = 0.43, P = 0.048).

CONCLUSIONS

House officer feedback resulted in ASP policy changes which improved the ASP experience.

Antimicrobial stewardship as part of the infection prevention effort

Antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) optimize antimicrobial use to decrease the incidence of infection with multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO) and the emergence of drug resistance, to improve patient outcomes and safety, and to decrease hospital costs. ASPs achieve these goals through several types of interventions that can occur before or after the antimicrobial has been prescribed; interventions can also be "active" or "passive." We believe that active post-prescription interventions such as post-prescription audit and feedback have the most supportive evidence and most promise. Stewardship activities must be integrated into already established efforts for infection prevention. We believe it is critical that antimicrobial stewardship, infection control, pharmacy, information technology, and clinical microbiology work collaboratively in order to decrease the incidence of infection due to MDRO.

Antimicrobial stewardship for inpatient facilities

Antibiotic stewardship aims to improve patient care and reduce unwanted consequences of antimicrobial overuse or misuse, including lowered efficacy, emergence of antimicrobial resistance, development of secondary infections, adverse drug reactions, increased length of hospital stay, and additional healthcare costs. Recent guidelines make specific recommendations for the development of institutional programs to enhance antimicrobial stewardship. Optimally, such programs should be comprehensive, multidisciplinary, supported by hospital and medical staff leadership, and should employ evidence-based strategies that best fit local needs and resources. An infectious diseases physician and clinical pharmacist with infectious diseases training are recommended as core members of the multidisciplinary team, although a hospitalist with interest (and perhaps additional training) in antimicrobial therapy may be able to fill the void. Program directors and core members should be compensated for their time. Principal proactive strategies--with evidence supporting their consideration--include prospective audits, with intervention and feedback, formulary restriction, and preauthorization. Other strategies include persistent one-on-one education, guidelines adapted to local needs, and informatics to support clinical decision making. Intervention goals are to prevent unnecessary antimicrobial starts, to streamline or de-escalate therapy early in its course, and to convert from parenteral to oral therapy, optimize dosing, and ensure the appropriate length of therapy. Most community hospitals, if sufficiently resourced, should be able to implement a successful antimicrobial stewardship program. Evidence suggests that good antimicrobial stewardship can lead to less overall and inappropriate antimicrobial use, lower drug-related costs, reductions in Clostridium difficile-associated disease, and, in some studies, less emergence of antimicrobial resistance.

Lost in translation? Reliability of assessing inpatient antimicrobial appropriateness with use of computerized case vignettes

OBJECTIVE

To describe and measure reliability of a computer-assisted method of case vignette assembly and expert review to assess the appropriateness of antimicrobial therapy for hospitalized adults.

DESIGN

Feasibility and reliability analysis of computer-assisted tool used to compare the effects of antimicrobial stewardship interventions.

SETTING

Public teaching hospital.

PATIENTS

Randomly selected adult antimicrobial recipients admitted to inpatient medicine services.

METHODS

Clinical data abstracted from 504 paper medical records were merged with computerized laboratory and pharmacy data to assemble case vignettes that underwent expert review for appropriateness. We performed 3 validations, as follows: data for 35 vignettes abstracted independently by 2 research assistants were assessed for interrater agreement, expert review of 24 vignettes was compared with review of the corresponding paper medical records, and interrater reliability of antimicrobial appropriateness assessments by 2 experts was determined for 70 case vignettes.

RESULTS

Vignette assembly and expert review each required 10-12 minutes per case. Potentially important discrepancies occurred in 0%-32% of clinical findings abstracted independently by 2 research assistants. Expert review of 24 vignettes and the corresponding full paper medical records yielded fair agreement (kappa, 0.30). The 2 experts identified inappropriate initial antimicrobial therapy in 67% and 61% of case vignettes reviewed independently; interrater agreement was improved after sequential case discussion and stringent application of appropriateness criteria (kappa, 0.72).

CONCLUSIONS

Our case vignette assembly and expert review method is efficient, but improvements in both technical and human performance are needed to be able to yield valid estimates of the prevalence of inappropriate antimicrobial use. Assessments of antimicrobial appropriateness require validation.

Hospital antibiotic stewardship

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Antibiotic stewardship is designed to optimize antimicrobial therapy administered to hospitalized patients, to ensure cost-effective therapy and improve patients' outcome while containing bacterial resistance. Current data on the development of effective programmes, including guidelines for their implementation, have demonstrated some efficacy and controversies are reviewed.

RECENT FINDINGS

Guidelines have been recently issued for the development and implementation of active antibiotic stewardship programmes in hospitals. A multidisciplinary team including at least an infectious disease physician and a clinical pharmacist is required. Multiple strategies are available, including prospective audit with feedback to the provider, education and antimicrobial restriction. Interventions have shown a positive effect on optimization of antimicrobial use, reduced costs and bacterial resistance, but studies showing improvement in patient outcomes are sparse. Results of studies may be confounded by several factors, mainly due to their before-after design and lack of control for cointerventions.

SUMMARY

Combined with an effective infection control programme, antibiotic stewardship can help contain antimicrobial resistance. Studies demonstrating improvement of patients' outcomes are needed to increase acceptance by a broader audience of physicians. A proactive strategy of prospective auditing with direct counsels and feedback to the prescriber, ensuring systematic reassessment of ongoing therapy, appears most useful.