Effect of prescriber peer comparison reports on fluoroquinolone use across a 16‐facility community hospital system

Abstract

IntroductionAntimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) continuously strive to optimize antibiotic use, while minimizing antibiotic‐associated adverse events. Among potential targets for antibiotic use reduction, fluoroquinolones (FQs) are an attractive drug class for ASPs due to their wide spectrum of activity, known adverse event profile, and availability of less toxic therapeutic options. The use of peer comparison on antibiotic use by ASPs has been described but is limited primarily to the outpatient setting.ObjectivesTo assess the impact of peer comparison using prescriber‐specific reports on FQ use and hospital‐acquired Clostridioides difficile rates across a 16‐facility community hospital system.MethodsIn January 2017, we began providing quarterly facility‐specific peer comparison reports to high‐volume antibiotic prescribers in three different medical specialties across our health‐system: Internal Medicine/Hospitalists/Family Medicine, Intensivists/Pulmonologists, and infectious diseases (ID). We completed a quasi‐experimental study designed to assess aggregated hospital data, evaluating FQ days of therapy/1000 patient days (DOT/1000 PD) in the intervention period (January‐December 2017), and compared with the baseline period (January‐December 2016). Additional outcomes that were evaluated include total antibiotic consumption (DOT/1000 PD), total percentage of antibiotics attributable to FQs, and cases of hospital‐acquired C. difficile/10000 PD (HA‐CD).ResultsCompared with the baseline period, FQ use decreased by 29% (baseline—83.9 DOT/1000 PD; intervention—58.5 DOT/1000 PD; P < 0.001). The overall percentage of antibiotics that were attributable to FQs also decreased in the intervention period (baseline—15.4%; intervention—11.3%; P < 0.001). During the intervention period, there were no significant increases in other key antibiotic classes, including antipseudomonal beta‐lactams and third‐generation cephalosporins. The rate of HA‐CD decreased by 20% in the intervention period compared with baseline.ConclusionIn a large community hospital system, the use of peer comparison reports based on prescriber specialty reduced FQ use, and may potentially reduce adverse events associated with FQ use.