A Closed Loop Two Cycle Audit Assessing the Prescription Practice of Topical Antibiotics for Acute Infective Conjunctivitis in a Primary Care Department

Abstract

Background: The implementation of guideline recommendations for antibiotics prescription for the management of patients with Acute Infective Conjunctivitis (AIC) in primary care departments remains below par. Objectives: To assess the impact of clinical audit on adherence to evidence-based indications for prescription of antibiotic eye drops in patients diagnosed with AIC, in the setting of a primary care practice in western Greece. Methods: This was a closed loop two cycle audit to evaluate the current prescription practice of antibiotics for the managements of AIC. Following evidence-based indications for the prescription of antibiotics in AIC through literature search, and in combination with discussion and collaboration with the primary care doctors of our department, we formulated and implemented guidelines for the management of AIC. In the second cycle of the audit we assessed the management of patients with AIC after local implementation of the guidelines. Results: A total of 191 cases were audited in the first cycle before the introduction of the guidelines, from 15th June 2019 to 7th March 2020, and 140 cases after, from 10th March 2020 to 20th November 2020. The compliance with the guidelines regarding antibiotics prescription was significantly improved from 12.0% to 84.6% between the first and the second cycles of audit. Conclusion: In this study, clinical audit with locally introduction of guidelines sign