Antimicrobial Stewardship Program Interventions Research Articles

Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs in Neonates: A Meta-Analysis.

Neonatal sepsis is a significant contributor to mortality and morbidity; however, the uncontrolled use of antimicrobials is associated with significant adverse effects. Our objective with this article is to review the components of neonatal antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASP) and their effects on clinical outcomes, cost-effectiveness, and antimicrobial resistance. We selected randomized and nonrandomized trials and observational and quality improvement studies evaluating the impact of ASP with a cutoff date of May 22, 2023. The data sources for these studies included PubMed, Medline, Embase, Cochrane CENTRAL, Web of Science, and SCOPUS. Details of the ASP components and clinical outcomes were extracted into a predefined form. Of the 4048 studies retrieved, 70 studies (44 cohort and 26 observational studies) of >350 000 neonates met the inclusion criteria. Moderate-certainty evidence reveals a significant reduction in antimicrobial initiation in NICU (pooled risk difference [RD] 19%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 14% to 24%; 21 studies, 27 075 infants) and combined NICU and postnatal ward settings (pooled RD 8%; 95% CI 6% to 10%; 12 studies, 358 317 infants), duration of antimicrobial agents therapy (pooled RD 20%; 95% CI 10% to 30%; 9 studies, 303 604 infants), length of therapy (pooled RD 1.82 days; 95% CI 1.09 to 2.56 days; 10 studies, 157 553 infants), and use of antimicrobial agents >5 days (pooled RD 9%; 95% CI 3% to 15%; 5 studies, 9412 infants). Low-certainty evidence reveals a reduction in economic burden and drug resistance, favorable sustainability metrices, without an increase in sepsis-related mortality or the reinitiation of antimicrobial agents. Studies had heterogeneity with significant variations in ASP interventions, population settings, and outcome definitions. Moderate- to low-certainty evidence reveals that neonatal ASP interventions are associated with reduction in the initiation and duration of antimicrobial use, without an increase in adverse events.

Building the future of ID: A call to action for quality improvement research and measurement.

Quality is central to value-based care and measurement is essential for assessing performance and understanding improvement over time. Both value-based care and methods for quality measurement are evolving. Infectious Diseases has been less engaged than other specialties in quality measure development, and Infectious Diseases providers must seize the opportunity to engage with quality measure development and research. Antimicrobial stewardship programs are an ideal starting point for Infectious Diseases-related quality measure development; antimicrobial stewardship program interventions and best practices are Infectious Diseases-specific, measurable, and impactful, yet grossly undercompensated. Herein, we provide a scheme for prioritizing research focused on development of Infectious Diseases-specific quality measures. Maturation of quality measurement research in Infectious Diseases, beginning with an initial focus on stewardship-related conditions then expanding to non-stewardship topics, will allow Infectious Diseases to take control of its future in value-based care, and promote the growth of Infectious Diseases through greater recognition of its value.

Antimicrobial stewardship program for gastrointestinal surgeries at a Vietnamese tertiary hospital.

Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs (ASP) have been applied widely in high-resource countries to prevent surgical site infections (SSI). Evidence favoring ASP interventions (ASPi) in gastrointestinal surgeries from low and middle-income countries has been limited, especially in antimicrobial prophylaxis. We aimed to investigate this gap at a Vietnamese tertiary hospital. We conducted a retrospective cohort study on patients undergoing clean-contaminated surgeries in 2015 who received standard of care (SoC) or SoC + ASPi. Primary outcome was 30-day SSI incidence. Secondary outcomes included length of stay (LoS) after surgery (days), cost of antibiotics, and cost of treatment (USD). Results were controlled for multiplicity and reported with treatment effect and 95% confidence interval (95%CI). A predictive model was built and cross-validated to detect patients at high risk of SSI. We included 395 patients for analysis (48.1% being female, mean age 49.4 years). Compared to patients receiving SoC, those with SoC + ASPi had a lower incidence of 30-day SSI (-8.8, 95%CI: -16.0 to -1.6, p = 0.042), shorter LoS after surgery (-1.1 days, 95%CI: -1.8 to -0.4, p = 0.004), and lower cost of antibiotics (-37.3 USD, 95%CI: -59.8 to -14.8, p = 0.012) and treatment (-191.1 USD, 95%CI: -348.4 to -33.8, p = 0.042). We estimated that by detecting patients at high risk of SSI with the predictive model and providing prophylactic measures, we could save 398120.7 USD per 1,000 cases of SSI. We found that ASPi were associated with a reduction in risks of SSI, hospital stays, and cost of antibiotics/treatment in a Vietnamese tertiary hospital.

The experience of an antimicrobial stewardship program and antibiotic consumption and resistance trends during the COVID-19 pandemic at a tertiary care center in Beirut

BackgroundAntimicrobial Resistance, a global concern, worsened with the COVID-19 pandemic that caused a surge of critically ill patients, increased antimicrobial consumption, and the spread of infections with multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs). Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs (ASP) aim to optimize antimicrobial utilization to fight resistance. We aim to describe the ASP experience and to study antimicrobial consumption and MDRO rates among COVID-19 patients at a tertiary care center in Beirut. MethodsWe compiled the ASP interventions, defined as ASP team recommendations, from January 2019 until December 2021. Data on antimicrobial consumption, expressed as a defined daily dose (DDD) per 100 patient days, was collected per quarter for all antimicrobials and restricted antimicrobials per ASP guidance. Our primary objective was to report on the ASP experience, and the secondary objective was to reflect on the rates of MDROs among hospitalized COVID-19 patients with respiratory or bloodstream bacterial co-infections between March 2020 and September 2021. Results9922 ASP interventions were documented during this study period, with a noticeable correlation between COVID-19 surges in Lebanon and the number of ASP interventions. Acceptance rates for these recommendations improved over time, with a noticeable decrease in the proportion of interventions related to de-escalation and discontinuation of broad-spectrum antimicrobials. We noted an increase in all antimicrobial consumption after the onset of the pandemic, peaking in Q4 2020 (142.8 DDD of anti-infectives/100 patient days) and Q1 2021 (79.1 DDD of restricted anti-infectives/100 patient days). As expected, MDROs, particularly ESKAPE organisms (Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae) accounted for 24% of isolates obtained from this cohort. ConclusionThis study highlights the experience of the ASP as we adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic. The ASP team maintained its operations and continued to monitor antibiotic consumption and provide recommendations to limit antibiotic misuse in an effort to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on antimicrobial resistance.

Benefits of Accepting Infectious Diseases Pharmacist Recommendations: A 5-Year Outcome Study in a Multihospital System.

Background: Infectious diseases (ID) pharmacists are pivotal members of antimicrobial stewardship teams. Prospective audit and feedback is a strong recommendation by The Infectious Diseases Society of America Guidelines for Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs (ASP). Utilizing customized ASP intervention documentation tools known as "ivents" in Epic, we aimed to assess the impact of interventions by measuring outcomes that were accepted compared to those that were rejected in a multihospital health system over 5 years. Methods: A multicenter, retrospective cohort study was conducted to compare clinical outcomes among intensive care unit (ICU) and non-ICU patients with accepted and rejected ASP interventions over 5 years from October 2015 to December 2020. Outcomes measured included antibiotic days of therapy per 1000 patient days (DOT/1000 PD), antibiotic doses per 1000 patient days (doses/1000 PD), hospital length of stay (LOS), in-hospital mortality, hospital-acquired Clostridioides difficile infection (HA-CDI), community-onset C. difficile infection (CO-CDI) within 30 days, and hospital readmission within 30 days. Coarsened exact matching (CEM) was used as a non-parametric matching method to balance covariates between groups and to control for confounding. Results: ASP recommendations by ID pharmacists were well-received by providers in a multihospital system over 5 years as evidenced by an overall acceptance rate of 92%. Acceptance of ASP interventions was associated with substantial reductions in antibiotic utilization without adversely affecting mortality or hospital readmissions. While high-risk C. difficile antibiotic use increased significantly due to frequent de-escalation to ceftriaxone among non-ICU patients with accepted interventions, rates of HA-CDI and CO-CDI within 30 days did not worsen. Furthermore, hospital LOS was notably shorter by an average of 1 day for non-ICU patients with accepted interventions, which resulted in substantial cost avoidance of $7 631 400. Conclusion: Collaboration with ID pharmacists to optimize antimicrobial stewardship was associated with significant reductions in antibiotic utilization, costs, and hospital LOS without worsening patient outcomes.

1257. The Impact of Communication Type on Acceptance Rates of Antimicrobial Stewardship Interventions

Abstract Background While face-to-face communication (ie. “handshake stewardship” (HS)) has been shown to improve antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) intervention acceptance rates, this strategy is resource intensive. Therefore, systems unable to conduct HS must identify the optimal mode of communication for ASP recommendations. This study evaluated the effects of communication type on ASP intervention acceptance. Methods An infectious disease physician and ASP pharmacist met Monday through Friday to assess appropriateness of select antimicrobials. ASP recommendations were delivered through direct communication via telephone conversations or passive communication via text-page. A text page consisted of a message limited to 240 characters sent directly to the primary team. We performed a retrospective review of all interventions and associated acceptance rates, antimicrobials and antimicrobial indications between January 1st, 2023 to March 31st, 2023. The primary outcome evaluated was ASP intervention acceptance rate. Results Recommendations were delivered through telephone conversations in 267/454 (58.8%) cases compared to 187/454 (41.2%) cases in which recommendations were provided via text-page. We found that direct communication delivered telephonically resulted in a significant increase in ASP intervention acceptance rate compared to passive communication via text page (82.8% vs 73.8%, respectively; p=0.02). This resulted in 884 and 552 days of antimicrobial therapy saved in the telephonic and text-page group, respectively (p=0.64). Significant differences in baseline characteristics included: antimicrobial indications of intraabdominal, respiratory, sepsis and febrile neutropenia; having a broad differential; and an intervention category of de-escalation. Conclusion Direct communication with clinicians (eg. telephonically) improves ASP intervention acceptance rates compared to passive communication styles (eg. text-page). Direct communication with the prescriber encourages shared decision making, increases visibility of ASP, and allows for education to modify prescribing behavior. The success of an ASP relies heavily on provider relationships, which direct communication can further promote. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

1189. The Impact of Clinical Staff Pharmacist Driven Weekend Antimicrobial Stewardship Coverage in a Quaternary Hospital in UAE

Abstract Background Pharmacy antimicrobial stewardship services were extended to cover the weekends, incorporating a clinical staff pharmacist with infectious disease (ID) training to cover antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) activities on weekends is an opportunity. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of integration ASP clinical staff pharmacist into an ASP on weekends by collecting and analyzing the documented pharmacists’ ASP interventions before and after implantation of the service. Methods A single center, pre-post quasi-experimental study. Data were collected retrospectively from the electronic medical record (EMR). The study included at 2 sets of data: pre-implementation (2020) and post-implementation (2021) of an ASP weekend pharmacist, The primary outcome is to evaluate pharmacist ASP Interventions through prospective audit and feedback review analysis. Secondary outcomes include antibiotics days of therapy (DOT), length of hospital stay (LOS), healthcare associated Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) and infection-related readmission.Table 1:Characteristics of the pre-and post-intervention group Results During the study, an increase in the number of documented interventions was observed with 452 interventions were documented on 362 patients during the post-implementation period compared to 114 interventions were documented on 108 patients during the pre-implementation period (p = 0.04). A reduction in the LOS was observed with a median (IQR) of 16 days (8-34) during the post-implementation period compared to 27.5 days (10-56) during the pre-implementation period (p = 0.001), while the median (IQR) total DOT was increased during the post-implementation period 8 (6-11) versus 7 (4-11) during the pre-implementation period (p = < 0.001). No differences were observed in healthcare associated Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) and infection-related readmission.Table 2:Pharmacist interventions on the pre-and post-intervention groupTable 3:Outcome of pharmacists driven weekend antimicrobial stewardship on the pre-and post-intervention group Conclusion The pharmacists driven weekend antimicrobial stewardship is an opportunity for the pharmacists to intervene and optimize patients’ treatment plan and contributed towards a significant shortened length of hospital stay. Therefore, healthcare facilities should prioritize the involvement of pharmacists in weekend ASPs to ensure consistent, high-quality care throughout the week. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

1235. A Retrospective Review of Antimicrobial Stewardship Audit and Feedback: Assessing Acceptance of Stewardship Recommendations During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract Background Antimicrobial stewardship is an underutilized strategy to mitigate the impact of antimicrobial resistance. It is well documented that many Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs (ASPs) were tasked with assisting healthcare teams in navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving less time/fewer resources for day-to-day ASP activities. The aim of this study was to evaluate the acceptance of stewardship recommendations during a season when the ASP had less time to perform regular educational activities and handshake stewardship. Methods A retrospective study of patients receiving antimicrobial therapy at Saint Francis Hospital during 12/30/2020-10/01/2022, for which audit and feedback by the ASP was conducted. A well-established ASP existed prior to the pandemic. Independent variables included the reason for intervention, type of infection by organ system, and type of intervention. Interventions included recommendations to stop antibiotics, de-escalation, duration of therapy, ID consultation, or change the route of administration. The primary outcome was the audit and feedback acceptance rate, and the secondary outcome was whether the intervention resulted in infectious disease consultation. Results 297 patients underwent audit and feedback. Interventions most accepted by providers included changing the route of administration (100%) and consulting ID formally (92%). Adjusting the duration of therapy was the least accepted intervention at 78%. Regardless of intervention, 33% of providers requested a formal ID consult. The number of interventions varied sporadically, coinciding with periods of decreased availability by the ASP team and during peak waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion Our ASP team, despite decreased resources while battling an ongoing pandemic, were still able to perform audit and feedback to providers with a good acceptance rate of recommendations, consistent with current literature. Having not only an existing but robust ASP prior to the pandemic, allowed continued success with ASP intervention acceptance rates, despite less dedicated time for typical ASP activities during the pandemic. Fostering good relationships between providers and ASP teams, as well as continued support and funding from hospital leadership, are vital to ongoing success. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

2224. A Novel Pediatric Antimicrobial Stewardship Program Intervention Leads to Decreased Use of Piperacillin-tazobactam in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at an Academic Institution

Abstract Background Antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASP) were created to improve antimicrobial use without compromising patient outcomes. Nationwide, Pediatric ASPs have shown a very rapid growth during the past decade. Inpatient stewardship can present some challenges, particularly with special patient populations like newborns and premature infants. Methods A new Pediatric Antimicrobial Stewardship committee was established in April 2022 at Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport- St. Mary’s Hospital. The first process measurement was a medication usage evaluation (MUE) report of piperacillin-tazobactam from January 31st, 2020, to September 7th, 2021, in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for early and late onset sepsis. Neonatologists received education about the recommended antibiotics for these indications. The stewardship committee obtained a report one year later to evaluate the impact of the intervention. Slicer dicer, a data extraction tool from EPIC Electronic Health Record (EHR) system was used to determine how many NICU patients received piperacillin-tazobactam. Results From January 31st, 2020, to September 7th, 2021, the charts of 64 neonatal patients, who were prescribed piperacillin-tazobactam, were reviewed. Out of these 64 patients, 46 (72%) were 4-28 days old when the antibiotic was received, 33 (72%) received piperacillin-tazobactam and vancomycin and 13 received additional antibiotics. Indications for the 46 patients included: Possible sepsis (15%), confirmed sepsis (6.5%), possible necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) (2.2%) and confirmed NEC (10.9%). The report demonstrated a possible overuse of piperacillin-tazobactam for early and late onset sepsis, without the diagnosis of NEC. We reported this antibiotic’s usage in NICU patients during the years 2020, 2021 and 2022 (Figure 1).Figure 1:Piperacillin-tazobactam usage in newborns and infants admitted to the Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Piperacillin-tazobactam was administered to a total of 27 patients admitted to the NICU in 2020, 46 patients in 2021, and only 15 patients in 2022. The medication usage evaluation (MUE) was presented by the Pediatric Antimicrobial Stewardship committee in April 2022. Conclusion Neonates and premature infants can represent a challenging patient population for Pediatric ASPs’ interventions. Before the introduction of this committee, there was no tracking of the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics in patients admitted to the NICU. We reported a possible overuse of piperacillin tazobactam for early and late onset sepsis, as well as NEC. Our interventions caused a dramatic reduction in the administration of this broad-spectrum antibiotic in the NICU. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

Impact of a multidisciplinary antimicrobial stewardship program on antibiotic utilization and clinical outcomes at a tertiary hospital in Saudi Arabia: a quasi-experimental study

ABSTRACT Background This study aims to assess the impact of a multidisciplinary antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) intervention on various metrics. Methods A quasi-experimental study was performed on non-ICU patients for whom a restricted antibiotic was ordered. In September 2020, a prospective audit and feedback was implemented involving infectious disease clinical pharmacists, utilization of electronic resources, and improved documentation. Outcomes included defined daily dose and days of therapy per 100-patient days (DDD/100PD and DOT/100PD) and patient clinical outcomes. Results 402 episodes were evaluated for 167 and 190 unique patients in the pre- and post-intervention phases, respectively. DDD/100PD and DOT/100PD were lower in the post-phase than in the pre-phase (1.75 vs. 2.54 and 16.13 vs. 44.93). Antibiotic de-escalation and clinical cure rates were significantly higher in the post-phase than in the pre-phase (62% vs. 40.6% and 83.5% vs. 65.8%; P < 0.001 for both comparisons). Hospital and ICU stays were significantly shorter in the post-phase (14 vs. 22 and 3 vs. 9, respectively; P < 0.001 for both comparisons). In-hospital mortality and 30-day readmission rates were lower in the post-phase (13% vs. 20.8%; P = 0.037 and 20.5% vs. 33.8%; P = 0.003, respectively). Conclusion The implemented multidisciplinary ASP intervention was associated with a significant improvement in antibiotic utilization and patient clinical outcomes.

Evaluation of the impact before and after the application of an antimicrobial stewardship program at Dong Thap General Hospital, Vietnam, from 2017 to 2021

Vietnam has one of the highest rates of antibiotic resistance in Asia. In 2020, the Vietnam Minister of Health introduced new legislation for the implementation of an antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP). The evidence for the effectiveness of ASP in small hospitals and hospitals located in provinces was limited compared with larger-scale and central city hospitals. Evaluation of the impact before and after the introduction of an antimicrobial stewardship program at Dong Thap General Hospital, from 2017 to 2021. Retrospective data was collected from June 2017 to June 2021. The impact of the ASP on changes in antibiotic use and the clinical outcome associated with the implementation of the ASP was evaluated using autoregressive integrated moving average modelling of controlled interrupted time-series analysis. There was a significant and sustained decrease in antibiotic consumption level (step change) in 2 indicators, DOT/1000PD (129.55; P<0.01) and LOT/1000PD (99.95, P<0.01), immediately after the ASP intervention. There were no statistically significant changes identified in terms of consumption with DDD/1000PD, or in the clinical outcomes. The results showed no statistically significant change in consumption trend (ramps) in all evaluated indicators. No statistically significant changes in consumption levels and trends were observed in the control group. The ASP implemented in Dong Thap General Hospital from 2017 to 2021 showed a considerable influence on antibiotic consumption as indicated by the DOT/1000 PD and LOT/1000 PD during the initial stages. Moreover, controlling antibiotic consumption did not negatively impact patient outcomes.

Impact of prolonged carbapenem use-focused antimicrobial stewardship on antimicrobial consumption and factors affecting acceptance of recommendations: a quasi-experimental study

This study aimed to assess the impact of a prolonged carbapenem use-focused antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) on antimicrobial consumption and clinical outcomes and to analyze factors affecting adherence to interventions. Patients prescribed carbapenems for ≥ 2 weeks received intervention. Interrupted time-series analysis was performed to compare antimicrobial consumption before and after intervention. Factors associated with non-adherence to intervention were investigated. Of 273 patients who were eligible for intervention, discontinuation or de-escalation was recommended in 256 (94.1%) and intervention was accepted in 136 (53.1%) patients. Before intervention, carbapenem consumption significantly increased to 1.14 days of therapy (DOT)/1000 patient days (PD)/month (P = 0.018). However, it significantly declined by − 2.01 DOT/1000 PD/month without an increase in other antibiotic consumption (P < 0.001). Factors affecting non-adherence to intervention were younger age (odds ratio [OR] = 0.98; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.96–1.00), solid organ malignancy (OR = 2.53, 95% CI 1.16–5.50), and pneumonia (OR = 2.59, 95% CI 1.08–6.17). However, ASP intervention was not associated with clinical outcomes such as length of hospital stay or mortality. Prolonged carbapenem prescription-focused ASP significantly reduced carbapenem consumption without adverse outcomes. Non-adherence to interventions was attributed more to prescriber-related factors, such as attitude, than patient-related factors including clinical severity.

Cross-sectional evaluation of a large-scale antimicrobial stewardship trial in Australian companion animal practices.

Antimicrobial stewardship programmes (ASPs) are critically important for improving the appropriate use of antimicrobial agents in veterinary practice. One of three ASPs was implemented in 135 Australian general veterinary practices in 2018-2020. The ASP interventions and the perceived impact they had on antimicrobial prescribing were assessed by the veterinarians working in these veterinary practices. An online survey was distributed to all 520 veterinarians working in the trial practices and 267 responses were analysed. Most veterinarians (174/267, 65%) thought they had an ASP at their clinic and most respondents who said that they were aware that they had an ASP at their clinic indicated that they had changed the way they prescribed antimicrobials because of the trial (125/170, 74%). Antimicrobial prescribing guidelines, the traffic light system for indicating antimicrobial importance, delayed prescribing and antimicrobial stewardship champions were reported to have had the biggest impact. All practices in the trial belong to a single corporate group, which may impact the external validity of these results when applied to general small animal practice. Antimicrobial stewardship has a positive impact on antimicrobial prescribing in veterinary medicine and future interventions should focus on the implementation of the effective interventions identified in this study.

Antimicrobial stewardship programs in seven Latin American countries: facing the challenges

BackgroundStudies have shown that more than 50% of the antibiotics used in hospitals are unnecessary or inappropriate and, that antimicrobial resistance may cost up to 20 billion USD in excess medical costs each year. On the other hand, Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs (ASP) significantly reduce inappropriate antimicrobial use, emergence of antimicrobial resistance, healthcare associated infections, and costs in hospital settings.ObjectiveTo evaluate the development of ASP and antibiotic savings in 7 Latin American hospitals using standardized quantitative indicators in all the participating health care institutions.MethodsAn interventional study was conducted, where pre- and post- evaluations were performed using a standardized score tool adapted from the Joint Commission International accreditation standards and, the Colombian Institute of Technical Standards and Certification. We evaluated ASP from 7 Latin American hospitals between 2019 and 2020. A pre-intervention evaluation was done in each hospital to quantify the degree of development of the ASP (ASP Development score). Based on these results, tailored on-site training was implemented in each hospital, followed by a post-intervention evaluation to quantify improvement of ASP-development indicators. In addition, monetary savings in antimicrobials derived from the ASP intervention were estimated.ResultsIn the pre-intervention evaluation, the average ASP development score for the 7 institutions was 65.8% (40-94.3%). The items with the lowest development score were those related to monitoring and communicating the ASP progress and success. For the post-intervention evaluation, 2 institutions couldn’t participate due to the pressure imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. For the remaining 5/7 hospitals, the average ASP development score was 82.3% with an increase of 12.0% when compared to the pre-intervention measurement of the same institutions (average pre-intervention score 70.3% (48.2%-94.3%) The items with a significant increase were key performance indicators, AMS education and training of the prescribers. Three of the seven (3/7) hospitals reported antibiotic monetary savings associated to the ASP intervention.ConclusionsThe use of the tool described shown to be useful to evaluate specific areas of ASP-development that were lacking and tailor interventions for the participating hospitals, consequently, it helped improve ASP-development in the institutions that underwent pre- intervention and post-intervention analysis. In addition, the strategies showed monetary savings on antimicrobial costs when measured.

The effect of Telehealth Antimicrobial Stewardship Program (Tele-ASP) on antimicrobial use in a pediatric intensive care unit: Pre- and post-implementation single center study

BackgroundOveruse or misuse of antimicrobials is common in pediatric intensive care units (PICU) and may be associated with poor clinical outcomes. Although an antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) has been found to improve this practice, the required expertise in infectious diseases may be limited in some centers. We aimed to evaluate the effect of telehealth ASP on the rate of PICU antimicrobial use in a center without a local Infectious Diseases consultation service. MethodsA retrospective cohort study was performed between October 1st, 2018, and October 31st, 2020, in Farwaniya Hospital PICU, a 20-bed unit. All pediatric patients who were admitted to PICU and received systemic antimicrobials during the study period were included and followed until hospital discharge. The ASP team provided weekly prospective audit and feedback on antimicrobial use starting October 8th, 2019. A pediatric infectious diseases specialist joined the ASP rounds remotely. Descriptive analyses and a pre-post intervention comparison of days of therapy (DOT) were used to assess the effectiveness of the ASP intervention. ResultsThere were 272 and 156 PICU admissions received systemic antimicrobial before and after the initiation of ASP, respectively. Bronchiolitis and pneumonia were the most common admission diagnoses, together compromising 60.7% and 61.2% of cases pre- and post-ASP. The requirement for respiratory support was higher post-ASP (76.5% vs. 91.5%, p < 0.001). Average monthly antimicrobial use decreased from 922 (95%CI 745–1000) to 485 DOT/1000 patient-days (95%CI 246–722, P < 0.05). A decline in DOT was observed across most antibiotic classes, except for ceftriaxone. No effect on the length of PICU stay, length of hospitalization, or mortality was observed. Most (89.7%) ASP recommendations were followed either fully or partially. ConclusionIn settings where Infectious Diseases consultation services are unavailable, PICU telehealth ASP can be effectively implemented and associated with significantly reducing antimicrobial use.

Short report: impact of selective reporting of antibiotic susceptibility testing on antibiotic use in patients with bloodstream infection with Enterococcus faecalis.

Bloodstream infections with Enterococcus faecalis are associated with relevant morbidity and mortality. Targeted antimicrobial therapy is essential. The choice of an adequate treatment may be challenging when susceptibility testing offers different options. Selective reporting of antibiotic susceptibility test results might lead to a more tailored antibiotic therapy and could therefore be an important antimicrobial stewardship program intervention. The aim of this study was to analyse whether the introduction of selective reporting of antibiotic test results leads to a more targeted antibiotic therapy in patients with bloodstream infection with Enterococcus faecalis. This study was performed as a retrospective cohort study at the University Hospital Regensburg, Germany. All patients with blood cultures positive for Enterococcus faecalis between March 2003 and March 2022 were analysed. In February 2014 selective reporting of antibiotic susceptibility test results omitting sensitivity results for agents not recommended was introduced. 263 patients with blood cultures positive for Enterococcus faecalis were included. After introduction of selective reporting of antibiotic tests (AI) significantly more patients received ampicillin than before introduction of selective reporting (BI) (9.6% BI vs. 34.6% AI, p < 0.001). Selective reporting of antibiotic susceptibility test results led to a significantly higher use of ampicillin.

Assessment of Adherence to Clinical Protocols and Interface with Antimicrobial Stewardship Program

Introduction: Antimicrobial resistance is a global concern. Antimicrobial Stewardship Program interventions are necessary to guide the implementation of treatment protocols for major infectious syndromes. Aim: To evaluate the adherence rate to clinical protocols related to the prescription of antimicrobials in a teaching hospital in Rio Grande do Sul. Outlining: Retrospective cross-sectional study, conducted with secondary data from antimicrobial prescriptions of patients hospitalized in clinical units from July to December 2020. Results: 4028 antimicrobial prescriptions were evaluated, with 42.9% non-adherence to institutional clinical protocols, 39.3% with complete adherence and 17.8% with partial adherence. Implications: Knowing the adherence data to clinical protocols provides an opportunity to intervene in improvements in antimicrobial prescribing, verifying the need for permanent education for prescribers, medical students, and residents. This contributes to the promotion of rational use of antimicrobials and helps in the fight against antimicrobial resistance.

Leveling Up: Evaluation of IV v. PO Linezolid Utilization and Cost after an Antimicrobial Stewardship Program Revision of IV to PO Conversion Criteria within a Healthcare System

The CDC's Core Elements of an Antimicrobial Stewardship Program (ASP) lists intravenous (IV) to oral (PO) conversion as an important pharmacy-based intervention. However, despite the existence of a pharmacist-driven IV to PO conversion protocol, conversion rates within our healthcare system remained low. We aimed to evaluate the impact of a revision to the current conversion protocol on conversion rates, using linezolid as a marker due to its high PO bioavailability and high IV cost. This retrospective, observational study was conducted within a healthcare system composed of five adult acute care facilities. The conversion eligibility criteria were evaluated and revised on 30 November 2021. The pre-intervention period started February 2021 and ended November 2021. The post-intervention period was December 2021 to March 2022. The primary objective of this study was to establish if there was a difference in PO linezolid utilization reported as days of therapy per 1000 days present (DOT/1000 DP) between the pre- and post-intervention periods. IV linezolid utilization and cost savings were investigated as secondary objectives. The average DOT/1000 DP for IV linezolid decreased from 52.1 to 35.4 in the pre- and post-intervention periods, respectively (p < 0.01). Inversely, the average DOT/1000 DP for PO linezolid increased from 38.9 in the pre-intervention to 58.8 for the post-intervention period, p < 0.01. This mirrored an increase in the average percentage of PO use from 42.9 to 62.4% for the pre- and post-intervention periods, respectively (p < 0.01). A system-wide cost savings analysis showed projected total annual cost savings of USD 85,096.09 for the system, with monthly post-intervention savings of USD 7091.34. The pre-intervention average monthly spend on IV linezolid at the academic flagship hospital was USD 17,008.10, which decreased to USD 11,623.57 post-intervention; a 32% reduction. PO linezolid spend pre-intervention was USD 664.97 and increased to USD 965.20 post-intervention. The average monthly spend on IV linezolid for the four non-academic hospitals was USD 946.36 pre-intervention, which decreased to USD 348.99 post-intervention; a 63.1% reduction (p < 0.01). Simultaneously, the average monthly spend for PO linezolid was USD 45.66 pre-intervention and increased to USD 71.19 post-intervention (p = 0.03) This study shows the significant impact that an ASP intervention had on IV to PO conversion rates and subsequent spend. By revising criteria for IV to PO conversion, tracking and reporting results, and educating pharmacists, this led to significantly more PO linezolid use and reduced the overall cost in a large healthcare system.

Rapid Decrease in Fluoroquinolones Consumption following Implementation of a Simple Antimicrobial Stewardship Bundled Intervention in a University Hospital during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Fluoroquinolones (FQs) represent an class of antibiotics of medical importance, but their use has been restricted due to their ecologic impact and associated side effects. The reduction of FQs use is an important goal of antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASP). This work describes an ASP focused on overall antibiotics and FQs consumption reduction. From January 2021, an ASP was implemented in a 700-bed teaching hospital. The ASP was based on: (i) antibiotics consumption monitoring system (DDD/100 bed days); (ii) mandatory antibiotic prescription-motivation (using a dedicated informatic format) with the goal of >75% of motivated prescriptions; and (iii) data feedback and training on FQs use indications. We evaluated the impact of the intervention on overall systemic antibiotics and FQs consumption according to the objectives posed by Italian PNCAR (National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance). A decrease of 6.6% in antibiotic use was observed (2019 vs. 2021). Notably, the FQs consumption fell by 48.3% from 7.1 DDD/100 bd in 2019 to 3.7 DDD/100 bd in 2021 (p < 0.001). After six months of mandatory antibiotic prescription-indication, all units achieved the target set. The study suggests that a simple, bundled ASP intervention can be rapidly effective obtaining the objectives of PNCAR on the reduction of overall antibiotics and FQs consumption.

Impact of Adding a Rapid PCR-Based Blood Culture Identification Panel to the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program of Patients with Febrile Neutropenia in a Peruvian Referral Hospital.

The addition of Biofire® FilmArray® Blood Culture Identification panel 2 (BCID2) to the antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) could improve outcomes in bloodstream infections (BSI) of patients with febrile neutropenia (FN). A pre- and post-quasi-experimental single-center study was conducted at a reference hospital in Peru. Three groups were considered: patients with BSI before ASP intervention (control group), patients with BSI after ASP intervention (group 1), and patients with BSI after ASP intervention plus BCID2 PCR Panel implementation (group 2). Overall, 93 patients were identified (32 control, 30 group 1, 31 group 2). The median time to effective therapy was significantly shorter in group 2 compared to group 1 and control group, respectively (3.75 vs. 10 h, p = 0.004; 3.75 vs. 19 h, p < 0.001). No significant differences in terms of relapse of bacteremia, in-hospital mortality (all cause), and 30-day-all-cause hospital readmission between the three study periods were found. The appropriateness of empirical antimicrobial use, adding or change, and the following de-escalation or discontinuation was significant when the two intervention periods were compared with the control group (p < 0.001). In addition to the lack of local studies documenting the microbiological profile of FN episodes, adding syndromic panels-based testing could allow for the consolidation of ASP strategies.