1798. Impact and Sustainability of Antibiotic Prescribing Feedback with Peer Comparison to Hospitalists in a Community Hospital

Abstract

Abstract Background Antibiotic prescribing feedback with peer comparison has been shown to reduce antibiotic prescription rates in the outpatient setting, but data regarding its impact in community hospitals are lacking. We previously developed novel denominator metrics to control for differences between physician practices such as patient volume or workload. Using these metrics, we provided regular antibiotic prescribing feedback with peer comparison to hospitalists in a community hospital over four years and evaluated its impact on targeted antibiotic prescribing. Methods Antibiotic days of therapy (DOT) for all antibacterials and targeted agents (aztreonam, antipseudomonal beta-lactams, vancomycin, and the fluoroquinolones (FQ)) were obtained from electronic medication administration records and linked to the ordering hospitalist. Physician-specific shifts worked data by month were calculated from local administrative datasets. De-identified data were presented in DOT/shifts worked, and trends in facility-wide and hospitalist-specific antibiotic prescribing were evaluated. Results A total of 37,938 antibiotic DOTs were prescribed by hospitalists from January 2018 to March 2022. De-identified feedback was shared in-person (4/2018, 4/2019, 3/2020, 11/2021) or virtually (9/2020) in small group sessions, and education, including local antibiogram data and recommended alternatives, was provided for targeted agents. Of the 31 hospitalists that received feedback, trends in FQ use for 7 hospitalists with longitudinal data are shown (Figure 1). In the month following feedback sessions, hospitalist antibiotic use data demonstrated substantial reductions in FQ prescribing, and similar trends were observed among all targeted agents. A single hospitalist’s prescribing trend for targeted agents is shown in Figure 2. Facility-wide, targeted agent use decreased 31% from 2017 to 2021 and was primarily driven by reductions in use by hospitalists. Conclusion Regular antibiotic prescribing feedback with peer comparison and education was associated with a reduction in targeted agent prescribing by hospitalists at a community hospital. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures.