American Society Of Health-System Pharmacists Research Articles

Landscape of board certification preparation in pharmacy residency programs

AbstractIntroductionBoard certification among pharmacists is increasing in prevalence, accompanying expanded practice opportunities and exam availability to broader specialty areas. Residency training is one common prerequisite for board certification. Although there are documented benefits, board certification preparation (BCP) has yet to be evaluated among the American Society of Health System Pharmacists (ASHP)‐accredited residency programs.ObjectivesThe objectives of this study were to determine the status of BCP among ASHP‐accredited residency programs and corresponding attitudes of residency program directors (RPDs) regarding BCP.MethodsThis study is a mixed methods cross‐sectional survey of RPDs from United States (US) states. Eligible RPDs were identified through the ASHP residency directory. A 33‐item survey was developed in REDCap® and distributed via email. Those with missing or invalid emails were excluded. The survey was open for 6 weeks and responses were anonymous. Descriptive statistics were applied for data evaluation.ResultsOf the 1601 RPDs emailed, 360 survey responses were received, a 23.3% response rate when excluding invalid email addresses. Among the survey respondents, 313 (86.9%) were board certified. Respondents served as RPDs of Postgraduate Year One (PGY1) (175, 48.6%) or Postgraduate Year Two (PGY2) (177, 49.2%) programs. Structured BCP was offered by 33 (9.2%) programs and 49 (13.6%) financially support residents' BCP. Among programs that offer structured preparation, 12 (36.4%) use institution‐specific materials. Among programs that do not currently offer BCP, 142 (57.3%) indicated they were “somewhat” or “very” interested in implementation, identifying the top barriers as cost and time.ConclusionsA small proportion of programs offer structured BCP, although interest appears high among RPDs to consider implementation. The likelihood of implementation would presumably increase if associated barriers were addressed. Further qualitative evaluation may assist interested programs in efficient, cost‐effective implementation of BCP through institution‐specific or commercially available products.

National Hospital and Health-System Controlled Substances Drug Diversion Prevention & Surveillance Program Assessment Survey - 2021.

To present and discuss the results of the National Hospital and Health-System Controlled Substances Drug Diversion Prevention & Surveillance Program Assessment Survey. The survey was emailed to 1,529 chief pharmacy officers utilizing the list of directors of pharmacy from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. The survey opened September 15, 2021, and closed October 4, 2021. Forty-nine questions were included in 5 different sections, and participants were also given the option to respond to 39 additional questions. The survey response rate was 12.75%, with the results showing consistencies in practice around drug security and human resource management. Sixty-two percent of sites had a formalized drug diversion committee, half of which had been implemented since 2018. Adoption of electronic controlled substance systems continues to increase, with 50% of sites having implemented such a system in the previous 3 years. At the time of the survey, 18% of organizations did not have an electronic system, but 90% of sites had implemented or intended to implement one by 2023. Over 40% of sites that utilized an electronic system were looking to upgrade to a next-generation system. Most organizations had 0.5 to 1 full-time equivalent dedicated to diversion prevention, and two-thirds of sites had a formalized diversion committee. The majority of sites defined "significant loss" by utilizing professional judgement, based on the scenario, as a percentage of inventory or as a range of units. Community practice consensus is needed around auditing adjustments to controlled substance inventory and for perpetual inventory processes. Respondents reported 1 to 2 (29%), 3 to 5 (26%), and more than 10 (26%) formal drug diversion investigations annually. This first-time survey provided significant insight into the realities of drug diversion prevention practices in hospitals and health systems nationally.

ASHP Survey of Health-System Specialty Pharmacy Practice: Practice Models, Operations, and Workforce - 2022.

The results of the 2022 American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Survey of Health-System Specialty Pharmacy (HSSP) Practice: Practice Models, Operations, and Workforce are presented. A total of 273 leaders in HSSPs were contacted by email to complete a survey hosted using Qualtrics. The survey sample was compiled from ASHP member lists, the presence of a specialty pharmacy indicated in previous ASHP surveys, and outreach to ASHP member organizational leaders. The survey response rate was 35.9%. Most HSSPs dispense 30,000 or fewer specialty prescriptions annually. Most respondents have an annual revenue of $100 million or less, are part of a 340B-covered entity, operate one location, have 1 to 2 specialty pharmacy accreditations, dispense both nonspecialty and specialty medications, and employ an average of 15.5 pharmacists and 17.6 technicians. The majority (66.7%) dispense 50% or less of prescriptions written by internal providers due to payor and manufacturer network restrictions. Over one-third employ nonpharmacist and nontechnician professionals. Specialty pharmacists are involved in treatment decisions and therapy selection before prescription generation (69.8%), and 47.7% of respondents report pharmacists operating under collaborative practice agreements. Most (82.6%) offer experiential or formal education in specialty pharmacy. The top point of pride remains patient satisfaction and level of service. Top challenges include access to payor networks, the ability to hire and retain qualified staff, and shrinking reimbursement from payors. The HSSP is a continually maturing integrated advanced practice model focused on providing patient-centric care to all patients and employees of the health system regardless of network status. HSSPs are raising the standards for quality in specialty pharmacy care.

Implementing and evaluating a diversity, equity, and inclusion resident recruitment strategy.

A recruitment strategy was designed to increase the racial diversity of applicants to the postgraduate year 1 pharmacy program at University of Michigan Health, Michigan Medicine (MM). This article describes MM's diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) residency recruitment approach, from conceptualization through implementation, and includes an evaluation of its effectiveness. The report of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Task Force on Racial Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, published in January 2021, provided a foundation for our recruitment approach. The approach consisted of establishing a residency DEI subcommittee, conducting outreach to under-represented students, and reducing bias in the process by amending the application screening rubric. The combination of these efforts resulted in a 5% increase in applicants from pharmacy schools with a high proportion of under-represented minority students. A diverse residency program benefits patients, trainees, and the larger healthcare organization. In addition, incorporating DEI into resident recruitment is required by the new ASHP Accreditation Standard for postgraduate pharmacy residency programs effective July 1, 2023. Evaluation of our recruitment efforts demonstrated targeted recruitment as an effective strategy to increase the diversity of a residency program's applicants. There may be additional barriers not addressed by our interventions to be further explored.

Alternatives to Hydrocortisone for Hemodynamic Support in Septic Shock Management Due to Medication Shortage.

Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to an infection. Septic shock is when initial fluid resuscitation fails to increase the mean atrial pressure to greater than or equal to 65 mm Hg. The 2021 Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelines recommend corticosteroids for vasopressor and fluid-refractory septic shock patients. Medication shortages can arise, and their etiologies include natural disasters, quality control issues, and manufacturing discontinuation. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists announced a shortage of IV hydrocortisone. Methylprednisolone and dexamethasone are considered therapeutic alternatives to hydrocortisone. This commentary aims to guide clinicians on the alternative to hydrocortisone among septic shock patients due to medication shortage.

We're Out Again?! Drug Scarcity and What We Can Do About It

Committee News| June 2023 We're Out Again?! Drug Scarcity and What We Can Do About It Michael J. Norton, MD, MBA, FASA; Michael J. Norton, MD, MBA, FASA Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Kayla M. Knuf, MD Kayla M. Knuf, MD Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar ASA Monitor June 2023, Vol. 87, 32. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.ASM.0000938856.48028.ef Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Cite Icon Cite Get Permissions Search Site Citation Michael J. Norton, Kayla M. Knuf; We're Out Again?! Drug Scarcity and What We Can Do About It. ASA Monitor 2023; 87:32 doi: https://doi.org/10.1097/01.ASM.0000938856.48028.ef Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentAll PublicationsASA Monitor Search Advanced Search Topics: medication shortages, united states food and drug administration, american society of health-system pharmacists, army, government, professors In recent years, people around the world have experienced difficulty obtaining the medications they need to manage their acute and chronic health concerns. Adderall, amoxicillin, and Tamiflu have recently made news for being in short supply, but they're just the latest in a long line of drugs whose availability has been disrupted. Many other drugs have suffered shortages over the years, as we in the anesthesiology community know all too well. Uncertainty over drug availability inevitably leads to questions. How big is the drug shortage problem? Is the problem getting worse or is recency bias simply making it feel that way? What is being done to combat it, and what can anesthesiologists and other physicians do locally and globally to alleviate supply challenges? In our role as clinical pharmacologists and patient safety advocates, anesthesiologists must understand the current problem and the answers to these questions. The American Society of Health-System... You do not currently have access to this content.

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Appropriateness of Surgical Antibiotic Prophylaxis in a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital in Central India: A Retrospective Analysis.

Surgical antibiotic prophylaxis (SAP) has been a boon in the prevention of surgical site infections (SSIs). This study was conducted to assess and evaluate the selection, timing, and duration of administration of SAP and their compliance withnational and international guidelines in a tertiary care teaching hospital in India. This retrospective study included the data collected from the central records department in a tertiary care teaching hospital on major surgeries conducted between January 1, 2018, and December 31, 2018, from the departments of ENT, general surgery, orthopedic surgery, and obstetrics and gynecology. The data was analyzed for the appropriateness of their indication for SAP administration, choice, timing, and duration of antibiotics, and compliance with the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) guidelines. Results and interpretation Out of the total 394 case records included, only 2.53% (n = 10) of the cases were given an appropriate antibiotic. The duration of SAP was appropriate only in 6.53% (n = 24), and the timing of SAP administration was appropriate only in 50.76% (n = 204). The most commonly used antibiotic was ceftriaxone (pre-operative 58.12% (n = 229) and post-operative 43.14% (n = 170)). Major inappropriateness was observed in the selection of antibiotics which may be attributed to the non-availability of cefazolin in the institute. The inappropriateness of the duration of the SAP may be attributed to the extra precautions taken by the treating physicians to prevent SSIs. The overall compliance of the surgical cases with respect to the ASHP and ICMR guidelines was less than 1%. Conclusion This study identified the lacuna between the guidelines for SAP and the clinical application of the same. It also identified the areas where quality improvement was needed which can be improved by implementing antimicrobial stewardship, especially the choiceand the duration of SAP administration.

The Role of a Pharmacy Administration and Leadership Rotation within Postgraduate Year Two Critical Care Residency Training.

The job of a critical care pharmacy specialist has evolved to include quality improvement and administrative tasks. As such, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) highlights specific goals and objectives to ensure post-graduate year two (PGY2) critical care residents are sufficiently trained to perform these tasks. The PGY2 critical care pharmacy residency leadership at the University of Kentucky sought to develop a four-week learning experience entitled, "Critical Care Administration / Medication Use Quality & Outcomes," as a unique rotation to capture these requirements and activities. The focus of this commentary is to serve as a guide for other residency programs to develop such a rotation, highlight resulting resident contributions to the department, describe perceived benefits of this rotation for residents, and highlight how this rotation impacted graduated residents' early years as practitioners. This learning experience is pivotal to providing a more balanced view of the entire medication use process and the healthcare ecosystem during a specialty residency. PGY2 critical care residents can gain valuable experiences away from the bedside that better prepare them for future tasks in addition to patient care that will be expected of them as clinical pharmacists.

Evaluating the role of clinical pharmacist in the detection and reduction of medication errors in a specialized burn unit.

This study evaluated the frequency and types of medication errors and the role of clinical pharmacist in the reduction of medication errors in a burn unit. The clinical pharmacist monitored medication use process in all patients admitted to the burn unit in the 4-month interventional study. Direct observation and chart review methods were used to detect medication errors. Medication errors were classified according to the classification of American Society of Health-system Pharmacists. The seriousness of medication errors was categorized based on the National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention index. During the study, 1653 drugs were prescribed to 94 patients. Totally, 259 medication errors were identified. The rates of medication errors were 2.75 errors/patient, 0.16 errors/ordered medication, and 0.98 errors/prescription. The most common type of errors was prescribing error (61.8%) followed by dispensing error (14.7%). Regarding the seriousness of medication errors, 1.9%, 21.6%, 45.9%, 30.1%, and 0.4% of errors were in the categories B, C, D, E, and F, respectively. Antibiotics had the highest rate of errors. Of all detected medication errors, 64.5% were intercepted or corrected by the clinical pharmacist interventions. Medication errors were not rare in the burn unit. Providing clinical pharmacy services to burn patients to reduce the incidence of medication errors is highly recommended.

National Amoxicillin-Clavulanate Formulation Use Pattern: A Survey.

Five commercially available amoxicillin-clavulanate (AMC) ratio formulations contribute to ratio selection variability with efficacy and toxicity implications. The objective of this survey was to determine AMC formulation use patterns across the United States. A multicenter practitioner survey was distributed to multiple listservs (American College of Clinical Pharmacy pediatrics, infectious diseases, ambulatory care, pharmacy administration; American Society of Health-System Pharmacists; Pediatric Pharmacy Association members), and selected pediatric Vizient members in June 2019. Responses were screened for multiples within institutions. Repeated organization responses were identified (n = 37) and excluded if the duplicate matched another response from the same organization exactly (n = 0). One hundred ninety independent responses were received. Nearly 62% of respondents represented a children's hospital within an acute care hospital; remainder being from stand-alone children's hospitals. Around 55% of respondents indicated prescribers were responsible for choosing the patient-specific formulation for inpatients. Nearly 70% of respondents indicated multiple formulations were available due to clinical need (efficacy, toxicity, measurable volume), whereas over 40% responded that the number of liquid formulations were limited to decrease the potential for error. Variability was demonstrated among institutions using ≥ 2 different formulations for acute otitis media (AOM), sinusitis, lower respiratory tract infection, skin and soft tissue infection, and urinary tract infection (33.6%, 37.3%, 41.5%, 35.8%, and 35.8%, respectively). The 14:1 formulation was the most common, but not exclusive, for AOM, sinusitis, and lower respiratory tract infections with 2.1%, 2.1%, and 2.6% of respondents indicating use of the 2:1 formulation and 10.9%, 15%, and 16.6% of respondents indicating use of the 4:1 formulation. Significant AMC formulation selection variability exists across the United States.

Methamphetamine Use and Role of Clinical Pharmacists

The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) and the Saudi Society of Clinical Pharmacy (SSCP) believe that the pharmacist plays an important role in substance abuse prevention, education, and assistance. Amphetamine and its derivatives are the second most widely used class of illicit globally. Clinical pharmacists can collaborate with the healthcare team to manage medication therapies for patients experiencing acute methamphetamine abuse. This mini-review aimed to explore the effects of methamphetamine use, discuss the challenges associated with its treatment, and emphasize the crucial role of pharmacists in addressing this growing epidemic.

A Survey of Pandemic Impacts on Pharmacy Residency Applications, Interviews, and Selection Factors

Objective. To assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pharmacy residency application/interview processes, match rate, and factors influencing match rankings at a single college of pharmacyMethods. In spring of 2020 and 2021, an anonymous survey of fourth-year pharmacy school (P4) residency applicants at one college of pharmacy was administered. Survey responses were compared to explore trends in showcase participation, number/type/geographic dispersion of applications submitted, interview invitations, grade point average (GPA), research experience, and match rate. A thematic analysis evaluated common factors influencing match rankings.Results. Responses were collected from 75 of 99 (75.8% response rate) residency-seeking students in 2020 and 79 of 94 (84.0% response rate) in 2021. Students in 2021 reported applying to a higher median number of programs, with no significant differences in mean reported number of interview invitations or match rate. The virtual American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Midyear Showcase led to a median reported savings of $1000 with no significant impact on perceived value. Virtual interviews led to a median reported savings of $430. Thematic analysis revealed feel/culture, location, and learning experience options as the most prevalent deciding factors for match rankings in both years.Conclusion. The pandemic led to an increase in the number of residency applications per student and yielded a net cost savings. There were no differences in number of interviews offered, match rate, or in deciding factors influencing match rankings. As the pandemic evolves, schools should maintain a flexible and dynamic approach to support students.

Expansion of MyDispense: A Descriptive Report of Simulation Activities and Assessment in a Certified Pharmacy Technician Training Program.

Yale New Haven Health (YNHH) implemented a pharmacy technician training program in 2016. The curriculum includes 14 weeks of combined didactic and simulation hours (280 h in total), followed by 360 h of experiential learning. MyDispense, an online pharmacy simulation, allows students to develop and practice their dispensing skills in a safe environment with minimal consequences for mistakes. We describe a novel innovation, expanding the functionality of MyDispense to the training of pharmacy technicians. Technician training coordinator, supervisor, faculty members with experience in MyDispense, and experiential pharmacy students created cases within the MyDispense software that were targeted towards pharmacy technician activities. Activities were aligned with current American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP)-Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) Accreditation Standards for pharmacy technician education and training programs. A total of 14 cases were developed to be utilized in student technician training, and account for approximately 14 h of simulation. MyDispense is an innovative software that could allow students to access and complete exercises, and to continue developing dispensing skills in a safe, remote environment. We identified similarities between activities performed by student pharmacists and student pharmacy technicians, expanding MyDispense to a new learner group to practice, develop and be assessed on dispensing skills within their scope, as part of a formal technician training program and in preparation for the Pharmacy Technician Certification Examination (PTCE).

Implementation and Impact of Critical Care Pharmacist Addition to a Telecritical Care Network.

To describe the implementation of a TCC pharmacist into an established TCC network, classify interventions performed, and quantify cost avoidance generated through pharmacist interventions. Multicenter, observational cohort study and retrospective return on investment, performed between December 2019 and December 2021. Critically ill adult patients, admitted to an ICU located in any of our eight community hospitals (50 ICU beds) within a large, 25-hospital integrated healthcare system (563 ICU beds total) in the United States. The TCC pharmacist service was implemented in 8-hour shifts, initially available 5 days per week, then expanded to 7 days per week. Critical care pharmacist interventions were categorized by clinical type established utilizing American Society of Health-System Pharmacists benchmarking standards and the latest cost avoidance data. During the 2-year analysis period, TCC pharmacists documented 2,838 interventions generating $1,664,254 of gross cost avoidance and a return on investment of 4.5:1. It is feasible to implement a TCC pharmacist within an established TCC network. Our experience showed enhanced comprehensive care of critically ill patients located in community hospitals within a large, integrated healthcare system, demonstrated significant cost avoidance, and has led to other initiatives, including a collaborative clinical/operational partnership with Life Flight.

Charting a new path forward for pharmacy residency expansion

AbstractA core component of the vision of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) for the profession is that most pharmacists will provide direct patient care. Residency training programs are considered a prerequisite to meet the standards and competencies required for pharmacists providing direct patient care. Barriers to residency training expansion are numerous and include, but are not limited to, lack of funding, challenges in meeting accreditation standards for residency programs, limited practice sites, and lack of qualified preceptors. The demand for postgraduate year one (PGY1) and postgraduate year two (PGY2) pharmacy residency training has exceeded position availability over the past 10 years. The American Society of Health‐System Pharmacists (ASHP) Foundation Pharmacy Forecast 2021 predicts pharmacy expansion within ambulatory care, population health, specialty pharmacy, and home care. To promote pharmacy residency expansion and maintenance of pharmacy residency quality, this commentary makes four recommendations with specific actions for consideration: develop preceptors and promote board certification, promote and foster innovation in residency training, expand residency training to address health equity with a focus on rural/underserved areas, and expand nontraditional residency training programs.

Beta-Lactam Allergy Association with Surgical Site Infections in Pediatric Procedures: A Matched Cohort Study.

Little is known about surgical site infection (SSI) risk among pediatric patients with reported beta-lactam allergy (BLA). We performed a retrospective cohort study at a quaternary children's hospital and compared procedures in patients ages 1-19 years old with and without BLA that required antimicrobial prophylaxis (AMP) during 2010-2017. Procedures were matched 1:1 by patient age, complex chronic conditions, year of surgery, and National Surgical Quality Improvement Program current procedural terminology category. The primary outcome was SSI as defined by National Healthcare Safety Network. The secondary outcome was AMP protocol compliance as per American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. Of the 11 878 procedures identified, 1021 (9%) had a reported BLA. There were 35 (1.8%) SSIs in the matched cohort of 1944 procedures with no significant difference in SSI rates in BLA procedures (1.8%) compared to no-BLA (1.9%) procedures. Tier 3 AMP was chosen more frequently among BLA procedures (P < .01). Unmatched analysis of all procedures showed that 23.7% of BLA procedures received beta-lactam-AMP (vs. 93.7% of procedures without BLA). There were no major differences in SSI on sensitivity analysis of BLA procedures that did not receive beta-lactam AMP (1.4%) compared to no-BLA procedures with beta-lactam AMP (1.6%). Our retrospective matched analysis of 1944 pediatric procedures found no increase in SSIs in procedures with reported BLA, which differs from studies in adults. We observed that the choice of beta-lactam-AMP was common, even in BLA procedures. More data are needed to delineate an association between non-beta-lactam AMP and SSI in children.

Rationality of Use and Effectiveness of Stress Ulcer Prophylaxis in Critically Ill Patients: An Experience from A Tertiary Intensive Care Unit

Background: Stress-related mucosal disease (SRMD) frequently develops in critically ill patients, increasing mortality and length of intensive care unit (ICU) stay. There is limited data on stress ulcer prophylaxis (SUP) on critically ill patients in Indonesia.Objective:Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study of patients admitted to the ICU from January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2017. The subjects were all ICU patients who used proton pump inhibitor (PPI) and histamine-2 receptor antagonist (H2RA) as SUP therapy.Results: A total of 315 patients were included, and mean age was 48 years. Approximately 55.2% were women, and 62.8% of patients were admitted to ICU following high-risk surgery. PPI was given to 187 patients (59.4%) and H2RA to 128 patients (40.6%), with an average usage for 5 days. The incidence of SRMD was 15.9% (n = 50), and mean length of stay in the ICU was 6 days. Gender, age, duration of SUP, and ICU length of stay of the PPI and H2RA groups were not statistically different (p &gt; 0.05) and did not affect the GI event (p &gt; 0.05). The use of rational SUP was 98.4%. Major American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) risk factor criterion was ventilator use (86.8%), while the minor ASHP criterion was anticoagulant therapy (22.2%). The incidence of GI event was significantly lower in PPI groups than H2RA groups (p &lt; 0.05).Conclusions: The use of SUP is rational with an average use of 5 days. PPI are superior to H2RA for SRMD prophylaxis.

392. Guideline adaptation of fidaxomicin as first-line therapy for Clostridioides difficile infection in institutions across the United States

Abstract Background In 2021, Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) treatment guidelines were updated to recommend fidaxomicin over oral vancomycin as first-line therapy in initial and recurrent CDI episodes. Prior to this update, fidaxomicin use in management of CDI was limited, as cheaper alternatives were recommended as first-line therapy. The purpose of this study was to assess the guideline adaptation of fidaxomicin as first-line therapy in CDI management in institutions across the United States (US) and to identify barriers to its use. Methods An electronic survey was distributed to members of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists in April 2022. Baseline demographics, current practices, and barriers to fidaxomicin use were collected. Results were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Fisher’s Exact Test was used to compare categorical variables. Results Based on 63 responses, majority of institutions (41/63, 65%) did not recommend use of fidaxomicin as first-line therapy for CDI. While most hospitals reported having institution specific CDI guidelines (48/63, 76%), over half of institutions with CDI guidelines still recommended oral vancomycin as first-line therapy (26/48, 54%). None of the institutions without CDI guidelines (0/15, 0%) recommended use of fidaxomicin as first-line therapy and majority of them (12/15, 80%) did not have fidaxomicin on formulary or restricted its use to ID services. Recommendation of fidaxomicin as first-line therapy was significantly higher in institutions with CDI guidelines versus those without (46% vs 0%, Fisher’s Exact 0.0006, p&amp;lt; 0.05). Approximately 92% (58/63) of respondents reported at least 1 barrier to using fidaxomicin, with 39.6% (25/63) reporting 2 or more barriers to use. Barriers identified were cost (55/63, 87.3%), lack of formulary inclusion (14/63, 22.2%), lack of provider familiarity (13/63, 20.6%) and inability of patients to afford upon discharge (7/63, 11.1%). Conclusion Majority of institutions do not currently recommend use of fidaxomicin as first-line therapy for CDI despite the recent guideline updates. Institutions with CDI treatment guidelines were more likely to recommend use fidaxomicin as first-line therapy. Cost and lack of formulary inclusion were cited as the most frequent barriers to fidaxomicin use. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures.

Efficacy and Safety of Vancomycin Bayesian-Estimated Area Under the Curve Versus Trough-Based Dosing.

Vancomycin guidelines by the Infectious Diseases Society of America and American Society of Health-System Pharmacists endorse Bayesian-software-assisted area under the curve (AUC24h) in their 2020 update. At this time, there are limited clinical data that support its use. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety benefits and efficacy outcomes of using Bayesian-assisted AUC24h dosing compared to trough dosing. Hospitalized patients from before February 1, 2020, (preimplementation of AUC24h dosing) and after August 1, 2020, (postimplementation) were reviewed. Patients with confirmed or suspected methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection of the lungs, heart, bones, prosthetic joint, or blood receiving vancomycin for at least 72 hours were included. The primary endpoint was the percentage of patients experiencing an acute kidney injury (AKI) in the trough-based group versus those experiencing AKI in the AUC24h group. The composite of all-cause mortality, 30-day readmission, or change in antibiotic therapy due to clinical worsening in patients with confirmed MRSA infections was included as a secondary endpoint. Data were analyzed with statistical testing methods as appropriate. There was a significant reduction in AKI between the AUC24h dosing and trough dosing groups (3% vs 12%; P < 0.01). The efficacy for MRSA infections was also similar between groups (11% vs 14%; P = 0.72). Bayesian-assisted AUC24h dosing was associated with a significant reduction in incidence of AKI when compared to trough-based dosing. There was no difference in the composite efficacy endpoint for patients with confirmed MRSA infection, although the study was not powered for this analysis. These data may provide evidence for more institutions to adopt the Bayesian software to assist in dosing of vancomycin.