2049. Trends in Antibiotic Use and Antibiotic Resistance among Veterans Affairs Community Living Centers from 2011 to 2017

Abstract

BackgroundAntibiotic resistance is a global public health crisis, with antibiotic overuse contributing to selection pressure, and thus driving antibiotic resistance. Strategies to reduce antibiotic overuse may slow the development of resistance, but large-scale studies assessing trends in antibiotic use and resistance among nursing homes at the national level are limited. We describe trends in antibiotic use and resistance nationally among Veterans Affairs (VA) Community Living Centers (CLCs).MethodsWe assessed antibiotic use and microbiological cultures among VA CLC residents from 2011 to 2017. Antibiotics were grouped into eight drug classes and annual days of antibiotic therapy per 1,000 bed-days were calculated. Facility-weighted annual antibiotic resistance rates were calculated. Joinpoint Software was used for regression analyses of trends over time and to estimate annual average percent changes (AAPC) with 95% confidence intervals (CI).ResultsOver 7 years and among 146 CLCs, several significant trends in decreasing antibiotic use and corresponding reductions in resistance were identified. Fluoroquinolone use decreased by 9.9% annually (95% CI −11.6 to −8.2%) and fluoroquinolone resistance decreased by 2.3% per year for Escherichia coli, 5.1% for Klebsiella spp., 1.8% for Proteus mirabilis, 4.9% for Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 12.6% for Enterobacter spp., and 3.2% for Enterococcus spp. Anti-pseudomonal penicillin use decreased by 6.6% annually (95% CI −10.6 to −2.4%) and anti-pseudomonal penicillin resistance rates decreased each year by 7.9% for Escherichia coli, 8.9% for Klebsiella spp., 15.2% for Proteus mirabilis and 4.2% for Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Anti-staphylococcal penicillin use decreased by 5.4% annually (95% CI −10.0 to −0.5%) and resistance in Staphylococcus aureus decreased 1.7% per year.ConclusionNationally among VA CLCs, we observed significant reductions in the use of several classes of antibiotics with corresponding reductions in antibiotic resistance, including an impressive decline in fluoroquinolone use and corresponding decreases in fluoroquinolone resistance among six organisms. Future research should assess whether reductions in antibiotic use predict later reductions in antibiotic resistance and improvements in resident outcomes.Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.