Broad-spectrum Antibiotic Prescribing Research Articles

What out-of-hours antibiotic prescribing practices are contributing to antibiotic resistance: a literature review.

Background:Overuse of antibiotics and inappropriate prescribing has resulted in a rapid increase in the rate of antibiotic resistance, with poorer patient outcomes and increased health costs. In the out-of-hours setting, a high proportion of antibiotics are prescribed and practices need to improve to reduce antibiotic resistance.Purpose:To identify antibiotic prescribing practices in European out-of-hours primary care services that are contributing to antibiotic resistance.Design:The review was conducted in alignment with the PRISMA statement (Moher, Liberati, Tetzlaff, Altman, & PRISMA Group, 2009).Methods:A literature search was performed using MySearch to identify European literature. The search was focused on antibiotic/antimicrobial prescribing in an out-of-hours environment, and any reports that described factors correlating with the nature of prescribing practices were examined.Results:The literature search located 91 articles, out of which seven met the inclusion criteria. Two articles described clinicians’ experiences in antibiotic prescribing in out-of-hours, two compared in-office and after-hours prescribing, two described prescribing patterns in out-of-hours and one examined prescribing in children. Four main themes were identified: antibiotics prescribed and conditions associated with prescribing; consultation time; the day of consultation; and parental opinion.Conclusion:Overprescribing to self-limiting conditions, prescribing of broad-spectrum antibiotics, time constraints, safeguarding issues and poor communication are all contributing to inappropriate antibiotic prescribing. Further research is needed relating to whether clinicians are adhering to antibiotic guidelines and to explore patients’ experiences and expectations from the out-of-hours practitioners with respect to antibiotic prescribing.

Prescription of antibiotics after tooth extraction in adults: a nationwide study in Korea.

ObjectivesThis study aimed to understand the nationwide patterns of antibiotic prescription after tooth extraction in adult patients.Materials and MethodsThis study analyzed dental records from the National Health Insurance Service–National Sample Cohort (NHIS–NSC) database on 503,725 tooth extractions performed in adults (≥19 years) during 2011–2015. Patient sex, age, household income, systemic disease (diabetes mellitus and hypertension), type of dental institution, region of dental institution, year of prescription, and type of tooth extraction procedure were considered. The antibiotic prescription rate and broad-spectrum antibiotic prescription frequency were analyzed using chi-squared tests. Factors affecting the prescription of broad-spectrum antibiotics were evaluated using multivariate logistic regression analysis.ResultsThe rate of antibiotic prescription after tooth extraction was 81.85%. Penicillin was most commonly prescribed (45.25%), followed by penicillin with beta-lactamase inhibitors (18.76%), metronidazole (12.29%), and second- to fourth-generation cephalosporins (11.52%). The proportion of broad-spectrum antibiotics used among all prescribed antibiotics was 45.88%.ConclusionThe findings of this study demonstrate that the rate of antibiotic prescription after tooth extraction is higher in Korea than in other countries. Furthermore, broad-spectrum antibiotics are used more frequently, which may indicate unnecessary drug prescription, an important contributor to antibiotic resistance.

Population-based assessment of patient and provider characteristics influencing pediatric outpatient antibiotic use in a high antibiotic-prescribing state.

To identify patient and provider characteristics associated with high-volume antibiotic prescribing for children in Tennessee, a state with high antibiotic utilization. Cross-sectional, retrospective analysis of pediatric (aged <20 years) outpatient antibiotic prescriptions in Tennessee using the 2016 IQVIA Xponent (formerly QuintilesIMS) database. Patient and provider characteristics, including county of prescription fill, rural versus urban county classification, patient age group, provider type (nurse practitioner, physician assistant, physician, or dentist), physician specialty, and physician years of practice were analyzed. Tennessee providers wrote 1,940,011 pediatric outpatient antibiotic prescriptions yielding an antibiotic prescribing rate of 1,165 per 1,000 population, 50% higher than the national pediatric antibiotic prescribing rate. Mean antibiotic prescribing rates varied greatly by county (range, 39-2,482 prescriptions per 1,000 population). Physicians wrote the greatest number of antibiotic prescriptions (1,043,030 prescriptions, 54%) of which 56% were written by general pediatricians. Pediatricians graduating from medical school prior to 2000 were significantly more likely than those graduating after 2000 to be high antibiotic prescribers. Overall, 360 providers (1.7% of the 21,798 total providers in this dataset) were responsible for nearly 25% of both overall and broad-spectrum antibiotic prescriptions; 20% of these providers practiced in a single county. Fewer than 2% of providers account for 25% of pediatric antibiotic prescriptions. High antibiotic prescribing for children in Tennessee is associated with specific patient and provider characteristics that can be used to design stewardship interventions targeted to the highest prescribing providers in specific counties and specialties.

Clinical predictors and outcome impact of community-onset polymicrobial bloodstream infection

ObjectivesVery few studies have characterised community-onset polymicrobial bloodstream infections (BSIs). This study determined the incidence, risk factors, and outcomes of polymicrobial BSI as compared with monomicrobial BSI in a cohort of patients with community-onset BSIs. MethodsThis prospective cohort study enrolled consecutive patients with laboratory confirmed BSIs who were admitted to two tertiary emergency departments in Taiwan between 1 January 2015 and 31 December 2016. It assessed the independent impact of polymicrobial BSIs on survival by a propensity score weighting method. Subsequently, independent clinical predictors were identified with multivariate logistic regression model analysis with internal validation by 10-fold cross validation. ResultsAmong 1166 patients with community-onset BSI, 133 (10.9%) episodes of polymicrobial BSIs occurred. Anaerobe, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii, Enterococcus spp., and Candida spp. were the most common isolated microorganisms in polymicrobial BSI. Polymicrobial BSIs were associated with an increased 90-day mortality rate (OR 2.20, 95% CI 1.98–2.60). A prediction model was built to predict polymicrobial BSI with moderate predictability (c statistic = 0.78). Significant predictors included biliary tract infection, nosocomial infection, nursing home residence, stroke, and afebrile presentation. ConclusionsPolymicrobial BSI occurred in approximately 1 in 10 episodes of community-onset BSI and was independently associated with excess mortality. Clinical predictors identified in this study may help guide the prescription of empiric broad-spectrum antibiotics.

Antibiotic prescriptions in acute otitis media and pharyngitis in Italian pediatric outpatients

BackgroundAcute otitis media (AOM) and pharyngitis are very common infections in children and adolescents. Italy is one of the European countries with the highest rate of antibiotic prescriptions. The aim of this study is to describe first-line treatment approaches for AOM and pharyngitis in primary care settings in Italy over six years, including the prevalence of ‘wait and see’ for AOM, where prescription of antibiotics is delayed 48 h from presentation, and differences in prescribing for pharyngitis when diagnostic tests are used.MethodsThe study is a secondary data analysis using Pedianet, a database including data at outpatient level from children aged 0–14 in Italy. Prescriptions per antibiotic group, per age group and per calendar year were described as percentages. “Wait and see” approach rate was described for AOM and pharyngitis prescriptions were further grouped according to the diagnostic test performed and test results.ResultsWe identified 120,338 children followed by 125 family pediatricians between January 2010 and December 2015 for a total of 923,780 person-years of follow-up. Among them 30,394 (mean age 44 months) had at least one AOM diagnosis (n = 54,943) and 52,341 (mean age 5 years) had at least one pharyngitis diagnosis (n = 126,098). 82.5% of AOM diagnoses were treated with an antibiotic within 48 h (mainly amoxicillin and amoxicillin/clavulanate) and the “wait and see” approach was adopted only in 17.5% of cases. The trend over time shows an increase in broad spectrum antibiotic prescriptions in the last year (2015). 79,620 (63%) cases of pharyngitis were treated and among GABHS pharyngitis confirmed by rapid test 56% were treated with amoxicillin. The ones not test confirmed were treated mainly with broad spectrum antibiotics.ConclusionsDespite guidance to use the ‘wait and see’ approach in the age group analyzed, this strategy is not often used for AOM, as previously noted in other studies in hospital settings. Broad-spectrum antibiotic prescription was more frequent when pharyngitis was not confirmed by rapid test, in keeping with evidence from other studies that diagnostic uncertainty leads to overuse of antibiotics.

Impact of Education and Peer Comparison on Antibiotic Prescribing for Pediatric Respiratory Tract Infections.

Inappropriate prescribing of broad-spectrum antibiotics is a significant modifiable risk factor for the development of antibiotic resistance. The objective was to improve guideline-concordant care for 3 common acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs) and to reduce broad-spectrum antibiotic prescribing in ambulatory pediatric patients. Quality measures were developed for 3 ARTIs: viral upper respiratory infection (URI), acute bacterial sinusitis (ABS), and acute otitis media (AOM). Among 22 pediatric clinics, a collaborative of 10 was identified for intervention using baseline data for each ARTI, and 3 plan-do-study-act cycles were planned and completed. Outcomes included guideline-concordant antibiotic utilization and broad-spectrum antibiotic prescribing percentage (BSAP%). Comparison in number of diagnoses for the ARTI measures and total antibiotic prescribing over time served as balancing measures. Collaborative clinics had baseline medians for appropriate or first-line treatment of 70% for URI, 53% for ABS, and 36% for AOM. To reach targets for URI, ABS, and AOM required 6, 14, and 18 months, respectively. At 42 months, performance for all 3 ARTIs remained ≥90%. BSAP% decreased from a baseline of 57% to 34% at 24 months. There was a limited effect from financial incentives but a significant decrease was noted in total antibiotic utilization. Diagnosis shifting may have occurred for URI and ABS while the rates for diagnoses for AOM declined over time. Through education and peer comparison feedback, guideline-concordant care for 3 ARTIs in collaborative clinics improved and remained beyond above targets and was accompanied by reductions in BSAP% and total antibiotic prescribing.

Urgent action on antimicrobial resistance

Urgent action on antimicrobial resistance

Antibiotic Prescribing Patterns at a Leading Referral Hospital in Kenya: A Point Prevalence Survey.

Objective:Antibiotics are essential with inappropriate use leading to antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Currently, little is known about antibiotic use among hospitals in Kenya, which is essential to tackle as part of the recent national action plan addressing rising AMR rates. Consequently, the objective was to overcome this gap in a leading referral hospital in Kenya. The findings will subsequently be used to develop quality improvement programs for this and other hospitals in Kenya.Methods:This was a point prevalence survey. Data on antibiotic use were abstracted from patient medical records by a pharmacy team.Findings:The prevalence of antibiotic prescribing was 54.7%, highest in the intensive care unit and isolation wards. Most antibiotics were for treatment (75.4%) rather than prophylaxis (29.0%). The majority of patients on surgical prophylaxis were on prolonged duration (>1 day), with only 9.6% on a single dose as per current guidelines. Penicillins (46.9%) followed by cephalosporins (44.7%) were the most prescribed antibiotic classes. The indication for antibiotic use was documented in only 37.3% of encounters. Generic prescribing was 62.5% and empiric prescribing was seen in 82.6% of encounters. Guideline compliance was 45.8%.Conclusion:Several areas for improvement were identified including addressing prolonged duration for prophylaxis, extensive prescribing of broad-spectrum antibiotics, high rates of empiric prescribing, and lack of documenting the indication for antimicrobials. Initiatives are ongoing to address this with pharmacists playing a key role.

ANTIBIOTICS PRESCRIPTION PATTERN IN RURAL AREA OF BANGLADESH: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY IN DEBIDWAR UPAZILA OF COMILLA DISTRICT

Objective: The study was aimed to evaluate the antibiotic prescription pattern by physicians in the area of study.Methods: This cross-sectional observational study was carried out with a self-designed standard questionnaire by manual data collection over a three months period at the Debidwar Upazila of Comilla District. The data were collected by directly interviewing the participants. Microsoft Excel 2010 was used for the analysis of the collected data.Results: Out of 242 patients, 60.74% of patients were male, 39.26% of patients were female. Majority of the patients (50%) belonged to age group 9 to 20 and in terms of profession, 53.30% were students. Among the previous disease history, hypertension (20.25%) was found at the dominant position. Common cold (28.95%) was the frequent reason for visiting doctor and ciprofloxacin was prescribed to 30.17% patients (Male: 21.90%, Female: 8.26%). Before prescribing anti-bacterial agents or any other agents, only 23.55% patients were recommended diagnostic tests and in 81.81% cases, physicians simply prescribed medicine by his/her own assumption and culture and sensitivity test was recommended and done for 18.18% patients.Conclusion: Prescription of broad-spectrum antibiotics for common cold and diarrhea, prescribing antibiotics or medicine based on presumption was the clear indications of irrational antibiotics use and inappropriate prescription pattern.

921. Antibiotic Prescribing for Children in Family Medicine Clinics Within a Practice Research Network

BackgroundFamily medicine clinics provide care for one-third of US children, yet comprehensive data about antibiotic prescribing in this patient population are lacking. We aimed to characterize antibiotic prescribing for children in family medicine clinics.MethodsA retrospective cohort of patients aged 0–17 years with a visit to a family medicine clinic within the Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho (WWAMI) Region Practice and Research Network (WPRN) from January 1, 2014 to April 30, 2017 was studied. Patients with complex chronic conditions were excluded. We defined narrow-spectrum antibiotics as penicillin, amoxicillin, first-generation cephalosporins, sulfonamides, and nitrofurantoin; and broad-spectrum antibiotics otherwise. On the basis of national guideline recommendations and a previously published hierarchical classification system, we assigned diagnoses to one of the 3 tiers: diagnoses for which antibiotics were (1) almost always indicated (e.g., bacterial pneumonia), (2) may be indicated (e.g., pharyngitis), and (3) generally not indicated (e.g., bronchiolitis/bronchitis).ResultsWe studied 20,779 pediatric patients with 97,228 clinic visits. Oral antibiotics were prescribed in 10,922 (11%) of all encounters. The median rate of antibiotic prescribing among providers was 14% (interquartile range: 4.9%–18.5%). Of all antibiotics prescribed, 51% were broad-spectrum agents. Acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs) accounted for 67% of all antibiotics prescribed. Of the antibiotics prescribed for ARTI, 25% were for diagnoses where antibiotics are generally not indicated. First-line guideline-recommended antibiotics were prescribed in 80% of acute otitis media, 80% of sinusitis, 68% of pharyngitis, and 31% of community acquired pneumonia diagnoses. Azithromycin monotherapy was prescribed in 52% of community acquired pneumonia diagnoses.ConclusionSpecific targets for improving antimicrobial prescribing within a family medicine practice research network include prescribing of broad-spectrum antibiotics (particularly azithromycin), prescribing for conditions where antibiotics are not indicated, and first-line guideline-recommended prescribing for pharyngitis and community acquired pneumonia.Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.

Broad-spectrum antibiotic prescriptions are discontinued unevenly throughout the week

In order to investigate prescribing patterns of in-hospital broad-spectrum antibiotics (antimeticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus drugs, carbapenems and piperacillin/tazobactam), data on the distribution of antibiotic initiation and discontinuation throughout the week were analysed at Osaka University Hospital, Japan. No significant differences in the number of initiations were found between weekdays. However, broad-spectrum antibiotics were disproportionately discontinued on Tuesdays or on the second day after a holiday. This study suggests that broad-spectrum antibiotics tend to be continued over weekends or holidays and discontinued thereafter; this is likely to be due to behavioural factors beyond medical indications, and needs to be addressed in future antimicrobial stewardship initiatives.

Impact of selective reporting of antibiotic susceptibility test results in urinary tract infections in the outpatient setting: a protocol for a pragmatic, prospective quasi-experimental trial

IntroductionAntibiotic resistance is a serious and increasing worldwide threat to global public health. One of antibiotic stewardship programmes’ objectives are to reduce inappropriate broad-spectrum antibiotics’ prescription. Selective reporting of antibiotic...

The Impact of a National Antimicrobial Stewardship Program on Antibiotic Prescribing in Primary Care: An Interrupted Time Series Analysis.

The Quality Premium was introduced in 2015 to financially reward local commissioners of healthcare in England for targeted reductions in antibiotic prescribing in primary care. We used a national antibiotic prescribing dataset from April 2013 until February 2017 to examine the number of antibiotic items prescribed, the total number of antibiotic items prescribed per STAR-PU (specific therapeutic group age/sex-related prescribing units), the number of broad-spectrum antibiotic items prescribed, and broad-spectrum antibiotic items prescribed, expressed as a percentage of the total number of antibiotic items. To evaluate the impact of the Quality Premium on antibiotic prescribing, we used a segmented regression analysis of interrupted time series data. During the study period, over 140 million antibiotic items were prescribed in primary care. Following the introduction of the Quality Premium, antibiotic items prescribed decreased by 8.2%, representing 5933563 fewer antibiotic items prescribed during the 23 post-intervention months, as compared with the expected numbers based on the trend in the pre-intervention period. After adjusting for the age and sex distribution in the population, the segmented regression model also showed a significant relative decrease in antibiotic items prescribed per STAR-PU. A similar effect was found for broad-spectrum antibiotics (comprising 10.1% of total antibiotic prescribing), with an 18.9% reduction in prescribing. This study shows that the introduction of financial incentives for local commissioners of healthcare to improve the quality of prescribing was associated with a significant reduction in both total and broad-spectrum antibiotic prescribing in primary care in England.

Isolation and Current Trend in Antimicrobial Resistance for Shigella in Diarrhea Patients in New Delhi: Hospital-Based Study

Introduction: Shigella species, members of the family Enterobacteriaceae, are responsible for causing acute gastroenteritis which is one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality in children in developing countries. Among others, Shigellosis represents a major burden of disease, especially in developing countries, and is estimated to affect more than 160 million human beings are infected by the microorganism annually and that approximately 1.1 million die. Materials & Methods: The study was undertaken at the Department of Microbiology in Maulana Azad Medical College & Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital, tertiary care, New Delhi India, from January 2012 to December 2016. The samples were processed according to standard bacteriological procedure. Resistance patterns of the shigella isolates to various antibiotics were determined by the agar diffusion technique. Results: A total of 9577 stool specimens were collected, of diarrhea /dysentery patients during the study period (January 2012 to December 2016). A total of 100 strains of shigella species were isolated thus showing a prevalence of 1.04%. The commonest species isolated was S. flexneri (55%), followed by S. boydii (19%), S. sonnei (15%) and S. dysentery (11%). All the isolates were sensitive to erythromycin, trimethoprimsulfamethoxazole and aztreonam and showed variable resistance against the remaining antibiotics. Conclusion: Limited laboratory diagnosis in developing countries imposes clinicians to syndromic diagnosis and empirical prescription of broad spectrum antibiotics that led drug resistant bacterial strains to emerge. More emphasis should be given towards supply of safe water and health education for the community.

The Impact of Clinical Pathways on Antibiotic Prescribing for Acute Otitis Media and Pharyngitis in the Emergency Department.

Although Italian pediatric antimicrobial prescription rates are among the highest in Europe, little action has been taken to improve the appropriateness of antimicrobial prescriptions. The primary aim of this study was to assess changes in antibiotic prescription before and after acute otitis media (AOM) and group A streptococcus (GAS) pharyngitis Clinical Pathway (CP) implementation; secondary aims were to compare treatment failures and to assess change in the total antibiotics costs before and after CP implementation. Pre-post quasi-experimental study comparing the 6-month period before CP implementation (baseline period: October 15, 2014, through April 15, 2015) to the 6 months after intervention (postintervention: October 15, 2015, through April 15, 2016). Two hundred ninety-five pre- and 278 postintervention emergency department visits were associated with AOM. After CP implementation, there was an increase in "wait and see" approach and a decrease in overall prescription of broad-spectrum antibiotics from 53.2% to 32.4% (P < 0.001). One hundred fifty-one pre- and 166 postimplementation clinic visits were associated with GAS pharyngitis, with a decrease in broad-spectrum prescription after CP implementation (46.4% vs. 6.6%; P < 0.001). For both conditions, no difference was found in treatment failure, and total antibiotics cost was significantly reduced after CP implementation, with a decrease especially in broad-spectrum antibiotics costs. A reduction in broad-spectrum antibiotic prescriptions and a reduction in the total cost of antibiotics for AOM and GAS pharyngitis along with an increase in "wait and see" prescribing for AOM indicate effectiveness of CP for antimicrobial stewardship in this setting.

Broad spectrum antibiotic prescription patterns in a tertiary private hospital in Argentina

Broad spectrum antibiotic prescription patterns in a tertiary private hospital in Argentina

Age-related decline in antibiotic prescribing for uncomplicated respiratory tract infections in primary care in England following the introduction of a national financial incentive (the Quality Premium) for health commissioners to reduce use of antibiotics in the community: an interrupted time series analysis.

To assess the impact of the 2015/16 NHS England Quality Premium (which provided a financial incentive for Clinical Commissioning Groups to reduce antibiotic prescribing in primary care) on antibiotic prescribing by General Practitioners (GPs) for respiratory tract infections (RTIs). Interrupted time series analysis using monthly patient-level consultation and prescribing data obtained from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) between April 2011 and March 2017. The study population comprised patients consulting a GP who were diagnosed with an RTI. We assessed the rate of antibiotic prescribing in patients (both aggregate and stratified by age) with a recorded diagnosis of uncomplicated RTI, before and after the implementation of the Quality Premium. Prescribing rates decreased over the 6 year study period, with evident seasonality. Notably, there was a 3% drop in the rate of antibiotic prescribing (equating to 14.65 prescriptions per 1000 RTI consultations) (P < 0.05) in April 2015, coinciding with the introduction of the Quality Premium. This reduction was sustained, such that after 2 years there was a 3% decrease in prescribing relative to that expected had the pre-intervention trend continued. There was also a concurrent 2% relative reduction in the rate of broad-spectrum antibiotic prescribing. Antibiotic prescribing for RTIs diagnosed in children showed the greatest decline with a 6% relative change 2 years after the intervention. Of the RTI indications studied, the greatest reductions in antibiotic prescribing were seen for patients with sore throats. Community prescribing of antibiotics for RTIs significantly decreased following the introduction of the Quality Premium, with the greatest reduction seen in younger patients.

Predicting pulmonary tuberculosis in immigrants: a retrospective cohort study.

Our objective was to investigate whether pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) can be predicted from features of a targeted medical history and basic laboratory investigations in immigrants.A retrospective cohort of 391 foreign-born adults referred to the Edmonton Tuberculosis Clinic (Edmonton, AB, Canada) was studied using multiple logistic regression analysis to predict PTB. Seven characteristics of disease were used as explanatory variables. Cross-validation assessed performance. Each predictor was tested on two outcomes: “culture-positive” and “smear-positive”. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were generated and the area under the ROC curve (AUC) was quantified.Symptoms, subacute duration of symptoms, risk factors for reactivation of latent TB infection and anaemia were all associated with a positive culture (adjusted OR 1.79, 2.24, 1.72 and 2.28, respectively; p<0.05). Symptoms, inappropriate prescription of broad-spectrum antibiotics and a “typical” chest radiograph were associated with smear-positive PTB (adjusted OR 2.91, 1.55 and 12.34, respectively; p<0.05). ROC curve analysis was used to test each model, yielding AUC=0.91 for the outcome “culture-positive” disease and AUC=0.94 for the outcome “smear-positive” disease.PTB among the foreign-born can be predicted from a targeted medical history and basic laboratory investigations, raising the threshold of suspicion in settings where the disease is relatively rare.

Myroides Soft Tissue Infections

Abstract Previously classified as Flavobacterium odoratum, Myroides species, although not regular constituents of the normal endogenous human flora may occasionally cause clinical disease. Most infections follow either exposure to environmental sources or acquired nosocomially often linked to contaminated water. The bulk of nonhealthcare-associated infections involve skin and soft tissues resulting from a traumatic event frequently accompanied by bacteremia. Once considered to be “opportunistic pathogens,” infections with Myroides also occur in immunocompetent individuals. Their unanticipated involvement and inherent multidrug resistance often lead to treatment failures when empiric and practice guideline recommended antimicrobial regimens be administered. However, other than in specific circumstances, it remains in the best interest of “good practice,” antibiotic stewardship efforts, and patient care to adhere to evidence-based guidelines and avoid influences such as the case we present and anecdotal experiences suggesting that broad-spectrum empiric antibiotic prescribing is a prudent practice in the initial treatment of undefined skin and soft tissues.

Effects of clinical pathway implementation on antibiotic prescriptions for pediatric community-acquired pneumonia.

BackgroundItalian pediatric antimicrobial prescription rates are among the highest in Europe. As a first step in an Antimicrobial Stewardship Program, we implemented a Clinical Pathway (CP) for Community Acquired Pneumonia with the aim of decreasing overall prescription of antibiotics, especially broad-spectrum.Materials and methodsThe CP was implemented on 10/01/2015. We collected antibiotic prescribing and outcomes data from children aged 3 months-15 years diagnosed with CAP from 10/15/2014 to 04/15/2015 (pre-intervention period) and from 10/15/2015 to 04/15/2016 (post-intervention period). We assessed antibiotic prescription differences pre- and post-CP, including rates, breadth of spectrum, and duration of therapy. We also compared length of hospital stay for inpatients and treatment failure for inpatients and outpatients. Chi-square and Fisher’s exact test were used to compare categorical variables and Wilcoxon rank sum test was used to compare quantitative outcomes.Results120 pre- and 86 post-intervention clinic visits were identified with a diagnosis of CAP. In outpatients, we observed a decrease in broad-spectrum regimens (50% pre-CP vs. 26.8% post-CP, p = 0.02), in particular macrolides, and an increase in narrow-spectrum (amoxicillin) post-CP. Post-CP children received fewer antibiotic courses (median DOT from 10 pre-CP to 8 post-CP, p<0.0001) for fewer days (median LOT from 10 pre-CP to 8 post-CP, p<0.0001) than their pre-CP counterparts. Physicians prescribed narrow-spectrum monotherapy more frequently than broad-spectrum combination therapy (DOT/LOT ratio 1.157 pre-CP vs. 1.065 post-CP). No difference in treatment failure was reported before and after implementation (2.3% pre-CP vs. 11.8% post-CP, p = 0.29). Among inpatients we also noted a decrease in broad-spectrum regimens (100% pre-CP vs. 66.7% post-CP, p = 0.02) and the introduction of narrow-spectrum regimens (0% pre-CP vs. 33.3% post-CP, p = 0.02) post-CP. Hospitalized patients received fewer antibiotic courses post-CP (median DOT from 18.5 pre-CP to 10 post-CP, p = 0.004), while there was no statistical difference in length of therapy (median LOT from 11 pre-CP to 10 post-CP, p = 0.06). Days of broad spectrum therapy were notably lower post-CP (median bsDOT from 17 pre-CP to 4.5 post-CP, p <0.0001). No difference in treatment failure was reported before and after CP implementation (16.7% pre-CP vs. 15.4% post-CP, p = 1).ConclusionsIntroduction of a CP for CAP in a Pediatric Emergency Department led to reduction of broad-spectrum antibiotic prescriptions, of combination therapy and of duration of treatment both for outpatients and inpatients.