Reduction In Antibiotic Consumption Research Articles

Time is running out. No excuses to delay implementation of antimicrobial stewardship programmes: impact, sustainability, resilience and efficiency through an interrupted time series analysis (2017-2022).

The WHO declared antimicrobial resistance (AMR) a significant concern in 2014, sparking initiatives to ensure responsible antibiotic use. In human medicine, Antimicrobial Stewardship Programmes (ASPs) in hospitals play a pivotal role in combating AMR. Although evidence supports the effectiveness of ASPs in optimizing antimicrobial use, often the lack of resources becomes an excuse to limit their dissemination and use. This paper provides a comprehensive report on a 6-year analysis of an ASP implemented in a healthcare region in north-east Italy. A retrospective data collection was conducted to assess the programme's impact on antibiotic consumption expressed as DDDs/100 patient-days, its sustainability over time, resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic and the efficiency of the ASP (relationship between workload and human resources). A substantial overall reduction in antibiotic consumption (-14%), particularly in fluoroquinolones (-64%) and carbapenems (-68%), was demonstrated, showcasing the programme's impact. Sustainability was confirmed through enduring trends in antibiotic consumption and ecological analysis over time. The ASP demonstrates resilience by maintaining positive trends even amid the challenging COVID-19 pandemic. Efficiency was underscored by an increase in on-site consultations despite consistent human resources until 2021. This study offers insights into the prolonged success of a resource-efficient ASP, emphasizing the crucial role of long-term commitment in fostering responsible antibiotic use in the context of global health challenges such as AMR.

Inflammatory biomarker-based clinical practice in patients with pneumonia: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials.

A systematic review on PubMed was performed on April 2023 by two independent researchers using the PRISMA guidelines. Randomized trials which enrolled patients with pneumonia and compared biomarker-guided strategies to standard of care were included. 1242 studies were recorded, from whom 16 were eligible for this study. 14 studies investigated PCT as a biomarker. From these, 8 studies reported on community acquired pneumonia (CAP), 2 on ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP), 1 on aspiration pneumonia, 1 on hospital acquired pneumonia (HAP) and 2 on exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (ECOPD). There was 1 study, referred to VAP, that investigated interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) and 1 study that reported the role of C-reactive protein (CRP) in ECOPD. In a total of 4751 patients in 15 studies, the biomarker-based approach did not lead to increased mortality [OR: 0.998 (95%CI: 0.74-1.34, p value: 0.991). I2:19%]. Among different types of pneumonia and time-points of assessment, biomarker-guided practice appeared to improve antibiotic-related outcomes, such as rate of antibiotic prescription, duration of antibiotic therapy and rate of antibiotic exposure, while 5 studies reported a possible decrease in antibiotic-related adverse effects. Biomarker-guided practice did not seem to lead in an increase in other adverse outcomes such as need for hospitalization and duration of hospitalization. However, the included studies have high risk of bias mainly due to improper blinding of participants/personnel and outcome assessors. Biomarker-guided clinical practice improves provided healthcare, in terms of reduced antibiotic consumption with no inferiority to mortality, relapses and exacerbations in patients with different types of pneumonia. Thus, such approaches should be further evaluated to achieve personalized medicine.

Effect and sustainability of a stepwise implemented multidisciplinary antimicrobial stewardship programme in a university hospital emergency department.

To explore effectiveness and sustainability of guideline adherence and antibiotic consumption after establishing treatment guidelines and initiating antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) ward rounds in a university hospital emergency department (ED). Data were gathered retrospectively from 2017 to 2021 in the LMU University Hospital in Munich, Germany. Four time periods were compared: P1 (pre-intervention period); P2 (distribution of guideline pocket cards); P3 (reassessment after 3 years); and P4 (refresher of guideline pocket cards and additional daily AMS ward rounds for different medical disciplines). Primary outcome was adherence to guideline pocket cards for community-acquired pneumonia, cystitis, pyelonephritis and COVID-19-associated bacterial pneumonia. Secondary outcomes were reduction in antibiotic consumption and adherence to AMS specialist recommendations. The study included 1324 patients. Guideline adherence increased in P2 for each of the infectious diseases entities. After 3 years (P3), guideline adherence decreased again, but was mostly on a higher level than in P1. AMS ward rounds resulted in an additional increase in guideline adherence (P1/P2: 47% versus 58.6%, P = 0.005; P2/P3: 58.6% versus 57.3%, P = 0.750; P3/P4: 57.3% versus 72.5%, P < 0.001). Adherence increased significantly, not only during workdays but also on weekends/nightshifts. Adherence to AMS specialist recommendations was excellent (91.3%). We observed an increase in use of narrow-spectrum antibiotics and a decrease in the application of fluoroquinolones and cephalosporins. Establishing treatment guidelines in the ED is effective. However, positive effects can be diminished over time. Daily AMS ward rounds are useful, not only to restore but to further increase guideline adherence significantly.

The Administration of Inactivated and Stabilized Whole-Cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to Gestating Sows Improves Lactation Efficiency and Post-Weaning Antimicrobial Use.

Increasingly hyperprolific sows and the need to reduce antibiotics represent challenges in pig farming. The aim of this work was to determine the effects of a postbiotic obtained from inactivated and stabilized whole-cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, administered during the sow's gestation, on the performance of the mother and litter. Maternal feed intake, productive parameters, colostrum quality and post-weaning piglets' health were assessed, including antibiotic consumption. The trial involved 183 sows, divided into two groups: (1) sows fed with a daily supplementation of postbiotic during gestation (n = 90); (2) sows without any supplement (n = 93). Piglets were followed up at two different post-weaning sites. The lactation efficiency of the treated sows improved by +5.9% (41.3 ± 11.4 vs. 35.4 ± 11.6%; p = 0.011). Lactating piglets' mortality was lower in the treated group (25.1 ± 16.7 vs. 28.8 ± 14.4%; p = 0.048). The same tendency was shown in both the weaning sites, together with a reduced antibiotic consumption in weaning site 1 (0.72 ± 0.25 vs. 1.22 ± 0.30 DDDvet/PCU; p = 0.047). The results suggest the role of this postbiotic administered to the mother in improving the health status of the piglets. Furthermore, lactation efficiency is suggested as an interesting parameter for assessing the efficiency of farming.

Biomarkers of Neonatal Sepsis: Where We Are and Where We Are Going.

Neonatal sepsis is a bacterial bloodstream infection leading to severe clinical manifestations frequently associated with death or irreversible long-term deficits. Antibiotics are the drug of choice to treat sepsis, regardless of age. In neonates, the lack of reliable criteria for a definite diagnosis and the supposition that an early antibiotic administration could reduce sepsis development in children at risk have led to a relevant antibiotic overuse for both prevention and therapy. The availability of biomarkers of neonatal sepsis that could alert the physician to an early diagnosis of neonatal sepsis could improve the short and long-term outcomes of true sepsis cases and reduce the indiscriminate and deleterious use of preventive antibiotics. The main aim of this narrative review is to summarize the main results in this regard and to detail the accuracy of currently used biomarkers for the early diagnosis of neonatal sepsis. Literature analysis showed that, despite intense research, the diagnosis of neonatal sepsis and the conduct of antibiotic therapy cannot be at present decided on the basis of a single biomarker. Given the importance of the problem and the need to reduce the abuse of antibiotics, further studies are urgently required. However, instead of looking for new biomarkers, it seems easier and more productive to test combinations of two or more of the presently available biomarkers. Moreover, studies based on omics technologies should be strongly boosted. However, while waiting for new information, the use of the clinical scores prepared by some scientific institutions could be suggested. Based on maternal risk factors and infant clinical indicators, sepsis risk can be calculated, and a significant reduction in antibiotic consumption can be obtained.

Successful antibiotic stewardship in the electronic era.

A multi-faceted antimicrobial stewardship programme contributed to a 17.8% reduction in antibiotic consumption for our English NHS Trust. This dramatic achievement could be partially attributed to an empirical antibiotic guideline change, introduction of procalcitonin testing to guide in antibiotic decisions in SARS-CoV-2 inpatients and use of electronic antibiotic stewardship strategies. In this article, we describe the multifaceted, step-by-step antibiotic stewardship approach that weathered the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and led to this dramatic improvement. Also included for completeness are interventions that did not pass the plan, do, study, act (PDSA) cycle and were therefore discontinued.

Association Between Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs and Antibiotic Use Globally

Antimicrobial resistance continues to spread rapidly at a global scale. Little evidence exists on the association of antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) with the consumption of antibiotics across health care and income settings. To synthesize current evidence regarding the association between antimicrobial stewardship programs and the consumption of antibiotics globally. PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases were searched from August 1, 2010, to Aug 1, 2020. Additional studies from the bibliography sections of previous systematic reviews were included. Original studies of the association of ASPs with antimicrobial consumption across health care and income settings. Animal and environmental studies were excluded. Following the Preferred Reporting Items in Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guideline, the pooled association of targeted ASPs with antimicrobial consumption was measured using multilevel random-effects models. The Effective Public Health Practice Project quality assessment tool was used to assess study quality. The main outcome measures were proportion of patients receiving an antibiotic prescription and defined daily doses per 100 patient-days. Overall, 52 studies (with 1 794 889 participants) measured the association between ASPs and antimicrobial consumption and were included, with 40 studies conducted in high-income countries and 12 in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). ASPs were associated with a 10% (95% CI, 4%-15%) reduction in antibiotic prescriptions and a 28% reduction in antibiotic consumption (rate ratio, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.56-0.92). ASPs were also associated with a 21% (95% CI, 5%-36%) reduction in antibiotic consumption in pediatric hospitals and a 28% reduction in World Health Organization watch groups antibiotics (rate ratio, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.56-0.92). In this systematic review and meta-analysis, ASPs appeared to be effective in reducing antibiotic consumption in both hospital and nonhospital settings. Impact assessment of ASPs in resource-limited settings remains scarce; further research is needed on how to best achieve reductions in antibiotic use in LMICs.

A study on post intervention impact assessment of antibiotic prescribing practices in the neurosurgery ICU, under antimicrobial stewardship program

Introduction: Antimicrobial Stewardship is a coordinated program that ensures the optimal selection, dose, and duration of an antimicrobial therapy that leads to the best clinical outcome for the treatment or prevention of an infection.Objectives: Objectives of the study are, (1) to describe antibiotic stewardship program implementation by critically evaluating antibiotic prescribing practices; (2) to design an appropriate intervention for subsequent implementation; and (3) to discern the impact of intervention.Methodology: An interventional and cross-sectional study was carried out for 19 months in a neurosurgery intensive care unit (ICU) of a tertiary-care hospital, consisting of three phases: baseline, intervention, and postintervention. First phase involved the evaluation of antibiotic utilization and prescribing practices and appropriateness for the same without provision of any recommendations. In second phase, a 3-component intervention was introduced, i.e. active ICU rounds, postprescription review with feedback and teaching programs. Third phase involved evaluation of antibiotic utilization and prescribing practices and appropriateness for the same with provision of recommendations. The study tool was an antibiotic prescription chart (pre and post-intervention phase) and postprescription review and feedback form (only postintervention phase) that was used for data collection. The primary outcome of the study was days of therapy (DOT) per 1000 In-patient days (PD) for antimicrobials. Data analysis was done by SPSS 23.Results: Overall decrease in the DOT per 1000 In-patient days from baseline to postintervention phase was 17.8% (P = 0.35). The reduction in cost of antibiotic usage per patient day from preintervention phase to postintervention phase was INR 78.1.Conclusion: Antibiotic stewardship ward rounds and dedicated prescription chart can achieve reduction in antibiotic consumption.

An algorithm for PCT-guided antimicrobial therapy: a consensus statement by Japanese experts.

In Japan, a national antimicrobial resistance (AMR) action plan was adopted in 2016, advocating a 20% reduction in antibiotic consumption by 2020. However, there is still room for improvement to accomplish this goal. Many randomized controlled trials have reported that procalcitonin (PCT)-guided antimicrobial therapy could help to reduce antibiotic consumption without negative health effects, specifically in acute respiratory infections. In September 2018, some experts in Europe and the USA proposed algorithms for PCT-guided antimicrobial therapy in mild to moderate infection cases outside the ICU and severe cases in the ICU (the international experts consensus). Thereafter, a group of Japanese experts, including specialists in intensive care medicine, emergency medicine, respiratory medicine and infectious diseases, created a modified version of a PCT-guided algorithm (Japanese experts consensus). This modified algorithm was adapted to better fit Japanese medical circumstances, since PCT-guided therapy is not widely used in daily clinical practice in Japan. The Japanese algorithm has three specific characteristics. First, the target patients are limited to only hospitalized ICU or non-ICU patients. Second, pneumonia due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Legionella species are excluded. Finally, a different timing of PCT follow-up measurement was proposed to meet restrictions of the Japanese medical insurance system. The adapted algorithms has high potential to further improve the safe reduction in antibiotic consumption in Japan, while reducing the spread of AMR pathogens.

Impact of Molecular Syndromic Diagnosis of Severe Pneumonia in the Management of Critically Ill Patients.

ABSTRACTThe impact of syndromic molecular diagnosis in the management of nosocomial infections caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) pathogens has been incompletely characterized. We evaluated the performance of a molecular syndromic platform (BioFire FilmArray-Pneumonia plus Panel) in patients with pneumonia in the intensive care unit (ICU) of a University Hospital in Greece over a 2-year period. We evaluated 79 consecutive patients diagnosed with pneumonia in the ICU (2018–2020), including 55 patients with ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP). We included 40 control patients diagnosed with pneumonia in the ICU the year before the study (2017–2018). We identified 16 cases of VAP due to XDR bacterial pathogens. We found an excellent agreement (89.4% 76/85 reported results) between the results of syndromic platform and conventional cultures of tracheal aspirates. The molecular syndromic test significantly improved time to diagnosis versus conventional culture (3.5 h vs 72 h, P < 0.0001), and identified new pathogens not detected by cultures in 49% of the cases. However, three cases of pneumonia with targets not included in the molecular platform, were not detected. Implementation of the molecular syndromic facilitated treatment modification from broad to narrow spectrum antimicrobial therapy, resulting in significant reductions in antibiotic consumption in the study group compared to the control group, without a negative impact in patient outcome. The implementation of syndromic molecular diagnosis in critically ill patients with pneumonia is associated with timely and improved diagnosis and has significant impact on reduction of antibiotic consumption.IMPORTANCE The impact of syndromic molecular diagnosis in the management of nosocomial infections caused by MDR/XDR pathogens has been incompletely characterized. We evaluated the performance of a molecular syndromic platform (BioFire FilmArray -Pneumonia plus Panel) in 79 patients with pneumonia in the intensive care unit (ICU) of a University Hospital in Greece over a 2-year period (2018–2020) compared to 40 control patients diagnosed with pneumonia in the ICU the year before the study (2017–2018). Importantly, implementation of syndromic pneumonia panel improved time to diagnosis, identified new pathogens not detected by cultures in 49% of the cases and resulted in a significant reduction in antibiotic consumption compared to the year before initiation of the study without a negative impact in mortality of patients. Collectively, our study demonstrates the positive value of PCR syndromic testing in the management of pneumonia in ICUs high rates of MDR/XDR nosocomial pathogens.

Starved of ACTION: A Critical Look at the Antimicrobial Resistance Action Plans of African Countries.

The urgent need for Africa, as a continent, to start galvanizing resources and strengthening its capacity to win the fight against the looming threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) was once again brought to the limelight by the recent study on the "Global Burden of Bacterial Antimicrobial Resistance" (The Lancet 2022, 399, 629). According to the study, western sub-Saharan Africa is a super-region for AMR, with overall mortality rates due to and associated with AMR standing at 27.3 and 114.8 per 100 000 people, respectively. Putting this in perspective, if the leaders of this region do not take effective action, Africa will indeed be one of the two worst-affected regions, along with Asia, with the possibility of over 4.1 million people dying annually from AMR by 2050. The development of a National Action Plan, as directed by the World Health Organization, provides an important framework for addressing the complex and multi-faceted nature of the rise and spread of drug-resistant bacteria. This paper reviews the AMR National Action Plans of African countries and calls on the leaders of this region to move from paper to action and to look beyond just the reduction of antibiotic consumption and, as a more comprehensive response to the threat of AMR, focus also on expanding access to safe drinking water, bettering sanitary conditions, maintaining effective leadership at all levels of governance, increasing government spending on healthcare services, and strengthening regulatory oversight.

Implementation of Clinical Practice Guidelines for Empirical Antibiotic Therapy of Bacteremia, Urinary Tract Infection, and Pneumonia: A Multi-Center Quasi-Experimental Study.

A quasi-experimental study was conducted on the implementation of locally developed clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) for empirical antibiotic (ATB) therapy of common infections (bacteremia, urinary tract infection (UTI), pneumonia) in the hospitals from January 2019 to December 2020. The CPGs were developed using data from patients with these infections at individual hospitals. Relevant CPG data pre- and post-implementation were collected and compared. Of the 1644 patients enrolled in the study, 808 and 836 were in the pre- and post-implementation periods, respectively, and patient outcomes were compared. Significant reductions in the mean durations of intensive care unit stay (3.44 ± 9.08 vs. 2.55 ± 7.89 days; p = 0.035), ventilator use (5.73 ± 12.14 vs. 4.22 ± 10.23 days; p = 0.007), piperacillin/tazobactam administration (0.954 ± 3.159 vs. 0.660 ± 2.217 days, p = 0.029), and cefoperazone/sulbactam administration (0.058 ± 0.737 vs. 0.331 ± 1.803 days, p = 0.0001) occurred. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that CPG-implementation was associated with favorable clinical outcomes (adjusted odds ratio 1.286, 95% confidence interval: 1.004–1.647, p = 0.046). Among patients who provided follow-up cultures (n = 284), favorable microbiological responses were significantly less frequent during the pre-implementation period than the post-implementation period (80.35% vs. 91.89%; p = 0.01). In conclusion, the locally developed CPG implementation is feasible and effective in improving patient outcomes and reducing ATB consumption. Hospital antimicrobial stewardship teams should be able to facilitate CPG development and implementation for antimicrobial therapy for common infections.

Reduction in outpatient antibiotic utilization: An unintended benefit of the COVID-19 pandemic?

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic heavily affected healthcare delivery systems in the United States. However, little is known about its impact on overall antimicrobial consumption, especially in outpatient settings. We assessed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on antimicrobial consumption in both outpatient and inpatient (acute-care, long-term care, and mental health) settings in the Veterans’ Health Administration (VHA) during the 2 years before and after the start of the pandemic. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study for all patients who received care within the VHA from January 2018 to December 2021. We used antibiotic days as the primary outcome measure (days of therapy for inpatient settings and dispensed days supply for outpatient settings), and we obtained data for antimicrobial consumption from the VHA Corporate Data Warehouse. Antibiotics were categorized into classes by the NHSN protocol and included only systemic agents (oral and parenteral). We defined 2018–2019 as the prepandemic period and 2020–2021 as the pandemic period. We compared the relative and absolute difference in antibiotic consumption between the 2 periods. Results: Across all periods, 8.3 million patients received care in the VHA, and an average of 28,709,680 antibiotic days were prescribed per year. Overall, 92.9% of all antibiotic days were outpatient and 7.1% were inpatient. Total antibiotic days during the pandemic period decreased by 12.4% compared to the prepandemic period (pandemic period: 53,613,840 and prepandemic period: 61,224,878). This reduction was primarily driven by reductions in outpatient settings (relative reduction: 12.7% and absolute reduction: 7,254,880 antibiotic days over 2 years), but antibiotic days in inpatient settings decreased more modestly (relative reduction: 8.4% and absolute reduction: 356,158 antibiotic days over 2 years) (Fig. 1). When frequently prescribed antimicrobials were categorized by classes, fluoroquinolones and lincosamides showed the largest decreases (fluoroquinolones: 29.2% reduction and lincosamides: 27.2% reduction). Tetracyclines and sulfamethoxazole–trimethoprim had the smallest reductions (5.2% and 11.2%, respectively). Conclusions: Compared to the prepandemic period, the pandemic was associated with a substantial reduction in overall antibiotic consumption, especially in outpatient settings, which accounted for 95% of the overall reduction despite being outside the domain of most traditional antibiotic stewardship programs. The impact of the pandemic was most modest in the use of tetracyclines and trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole and was most prominent in the use of fluoroquinolones and lincosamides. Further studies are required to improve the causal inference between the COVID-19 pandemic and this reduction in antibiotic consumption, as well as its impact on patient outcomes.Funding: NoneDisclosures: None

Implementing an Antimicrobial Stewardship Programme to Improve Adherence to a Perioperative Prophylaxis Guideline.

Perioperative antimicrobial prophylaxis is effective in reducing the rate of surgical site infections (SSIs); however, non-adherence to surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis protocols can lead to several negative outcomes. We performed a before-and-after intervention study with the aim of improving the process outcome, including adherence to guidelines. Another objective of this study was to investigate improvement in patient outcomes as a result of adherence to a surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis programme. The indicators of improved patient outcomes were a reduction in overall SSI rate and the decreased cost of antibiotics. SSI rate was calculated as a percentage by dividing the number of SSIs by the total number of surgeries and then multiplying the value obtained by 100%. The interventions implemented in the surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis programme included establishment of a guideline, educational sessions, and a monthly revision of prescriptions. Our findings show that implementation of the interventions resulted in reduced antibiotic consumption, a considerable decrease in the cost of prophylaxis, and a decrease in the incidence of SSIs.

Photoantimicrobial application in biomedical field: Whether new arrival or renewal of ancient chemical

Despite the fact that infectious disease associated mortality has declined yet in the 21st century infectious diseases continue to be a threat to man and animals. A two-stage treatment module that involves light-sensitive chemicals and a light source to destroy microbes or abnormal cells are known as photodynamic therapy. On their own the chemicals and light source are harmless, but once a chemical is exposed to light, it is excited and produces reactive free radicals that damage the microbes. This technique may be used as a supplement to conventional antibiotics so that reduction in antibiotic consumption on earth may be curtailed to certain extent. At present the human population are surviving in the resistance era; drug resistance is inevitable. It is not a question of if but rather when. Genuine progress to achieve “right drug for right bug” has not yet been achieved. Expert groups across the globe are advocating for either reducing the antibiotic dose or to replace it with alternative medicine. The potentially lethal chemical weapons ultimately released from the activation of photosensitizers to destroy the pathogens are reactive oxygen species. Due to irreversible damage of the microbial proteins and nucleic acids, photoantimicrobial agents are not single-target specific. It is very unlikely that the microbes can develop resistance against the photoantimicrobials. However, the potential for microbial resistance development using photodynamic therapy (PDT) remains under investigation. We may not replace antibiotics but we may reduce it by PDT. Further detail is elaborated.

40. Impact of an Antimicrobial Intake Process within a Post-acute Medical System

BackgroundImplementation of antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) within long-term acute care facilities (LTACs) is challenging due to limited resources and missing patient data from transferring facilities. In October 2018, an ASP was established within a 43-hopital system consisting of LTACs and rehabilitation hospitals. Despite the presence of a restricted antimicrobial policy, increased utilization was observed for five restricted antimicrobials. The system ASP committee implemented a multipronged approach to optimize utilization of these five agents. Investigators sought to assess the impact of an antimicrobial intake process on antimicrobial consumption.MethodsThis was a retrospective analysis within a 43-hospital system of LTACs and rehabilitation hospitals, comparing use of five restricted antibiotics before (Jul19-Jun20) and after (Jul20-Apr21) implementation of a data-collection and system review process. An antibiotic intake form and process for review for five restricted antibiotics (ceftaroline, ceftazidime/avibactam, ceftolozane/tazobactam, fidaxomicin, meropenem/vaborbactam) was approved at the system ASP committee. The intake form consisted of a restricted antibiotic form, cultures and susceptibilities, physician notes, and other pertinent data. Any orders for the five antibiotics required completion of an intake form and submission to system ASP members for review and recommendations. Antibiotic consumption was measured in cost per acute patient day (cost/pd) using a 2-sided t-test.ResultsPost-implementation, the five restricted antibiotics comprised 29.1% of the total antibiotic expenditure for the healthcare system compared to 35.6% pre-implementation. Ten months after program implementation, the total antibiotic cost/PD decreased 29.45% [(&12.02 ± 2.29) vs. (&8.48 ± 1.45); p=0.0003]. The cost/PD of the five restricted antibiotics decreased 42.52% [(&4.28 ± 1.09) vs. (&2.46 ± 0.99) ; p=0.0005].ConclusionImplementation of an antimicrobial intake process within a post-acute medical system resulted in a significant reduction in antibiotic consumption for five targeted antibiotics as well as overall antibiotic expenditure.Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

Impact of an antibiotic stewardship programme in a surgical setting.

BackgroundAntibiotics are miracles of science and critical for many surgical procedures. However, the emergence of multidrug resistant pathogens resulting from inappropriate antibiotic use is a threat to modern medicine. This study aimed to determine the appropriateness of antibiotic use, cost, consumption and impact of an antibiotic stewardship intervention round in a surgical ward setting.MethodsBaseline antibiotic utilisation was determined with a retrospective cross-sectional study in two surgical wards in a tertiary academic hospital in South Africa where medical records of 264 patients who received antibiotics were reviewed. In the second stage of the study, records of 212 patients who received antibiotics were reviewed during a weekly antibiotic stewardship intervention round. The volume of antibiotics consumed was determined using defined daily doses (DDDs)/1000 patients’ days, and the appropriateness of the antibiotic prescription for treatment was also determined using a quality-of-use algorithm.ResultsThere was a reduction in the volume of antibiotic consumption from a total 739.30 DDDs/1000 to 564.93 DDDs/1000 patient days, with reduction in inappropriate antibiotic use from 35% to 26% from baseline to antibiotic stewardship programme stages, respectively. There was an overall increase in culture targeted therapy in both wards in the antibiotic stewardship programme stage.ConclusionThe implementation of an antibiotic stewardship programme led to a reduction in antibiotic consumption and improvement in appropriate use of antibiotics.

Public preferences for delayed or immediate antibiotic prescriptions in UK primary care: A choice experiment.

Delayed (or "backup") antibiotic prescription, where the patient is given a prescription but advised to delay initiating antibiotics, has been shown to be effective in reducing antibiotic use in primary care. However, this strategy is not widely used in the United Kingdom. This study aimed to identify factors influencing preferences among the UK public for delayed prescription, and understand their relative importance, to help increase appropriate use of this prescribing option. We conducted an online choice experiment in 2 UK general population samples: adults and parents of children under 18 years. Respondents were presented with 12 scenarios in which they, or their child, might need antibiotics for a respiratory tract infection (RTI) and asked to choose either an immediate or a delayed prescription. Scenarios were described by 7 attributes. Data were collected between November 2018 and February 2019. Respondent preferences were modelled using mixed-effects logistic regression. The survey was completed by 802 adults and 801 parents (75% of those who opened the survey). The samples reflected the UK population in age, sex, ethnicity, and country of residence. The most important determinant of respondent choice was symptom severity, especially for cough-related symptoms. In the adult sample, the probability of choosing delayed prescription was 0.53 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.50 to 0.56, p < 0.001) for a chesty cough and runny nose compared to 0.30 (0.28 to 0.33, p < 0.001) for a chesty cough with fever, 0.47 (0.44 to 0.50, p < 0.001) for sore throat with swollen glands, and 0.37 (0.34 to 0.39, p < 0.001) for sore throat, swollen glands, and fever. Respondents were less likely to choose delayed prescription with increasing duration of illness (odds ratio (OR) 0.94 (0.92 to 0.96, p < 0.001)). Probabilities of choosing delayed prescription were similar for parents considering treatment for a child (44% of choices versus 42% for adults, p = 0.04). However, parents differed from the adult sample in showing a more marked reduction in choice of the delayed prescription with increasing duration of illness (OR 0.83 (0.80 to 0.87) versus 0.94 (0.92 to 0.96) for adults, p for heterogeneity p < 0.001) and a smaller effect of disruption of usual activities (OR 0.96 (0.95 to 0.97) versus 0.93 (0.92 to 0.94) for adults, p for heterogeneity p < 0.001). Females were more likely to choose a delayed prescription than males for minor symptoms, particularly minor cough (probability 0.62 (0.58 to 0.66, p < 0.001) for females and 0.45 (0.41 to 0.48, p < 0.001) for males). Older people, those with a good understanding of antibiotics, and those who had not used antibiotics recently showed similar patterns of preferences. Study limitations include its hypothetical nature, which may not reflect real-life behaviour; the absence of a "no prescription" option; and the possibility that study respondents may not represent the views of population groups who are typically underrepresented in online surveys. This study found that delayed prescription appears to be an acceptable approach to reducing antibiotic consumption. Certain groups appear to be more amenable to delayed prescription, suggesting particular opportunities for increased use of this strategy. Prescribing choices for sore throat may need additional explanation to ensure patient acceptance, and parents in particular may benefit from reassurance about the usual duration of these illnesses.

Reduction in antimicrobial use associated with a multifaceted antimicrobial stewardship programme in a tertiary teaching hospital in Shanghai: a segmented regression analysis.

Rational use of antibiotics received great attention in China, therefore the multifaceted antimicrobial stewardship (MAMS) is urgently required in hospital management. We conducted this study to assess the impact of a MAMS programme on antimicrobial use in a tertiary teaching hospital in Shanghai. This retrospective observational study was conducted at a tertiary teaching hospital in Shanghai. The MAMS programme involved multifaceted interventions consisting of a quality premium with financial incentives, antibiotic restriction, audit and feedback, and education. Data were extracted from the electronic medical records of inpatients to analyse monthly and annual antibiotic consumption and the percentage of antibiotic prescriptions during 2017-2020. Segmented regression analysis of the interrupted time series was used to contrast antimicrobial use during 2019-2020, with non-MAMS data from the 2017-2018 period as the historical control. With MAMS implementation, antibiotic consumption decreased from 63.3 (59.3, 67.2) defined daily doses (DDDs) per 100 patient-days (PD) to 43.3 (39.0, 49.8) DDDs/100 PD (P<0.001), and the percentage of antibiotic prescriptions decreased from 44.8% (44.1%, 45.4%) to 43.3% (42.2%, 44.3%) (P<0.001). Segmented regression models suggested a reduction in antibiotic consumption (coefficient = -12.537, P<0.001) and indicated a downward trend in the percentage of antibiotic prescriptions (coefficient =-0.165, P=0.049). Neither antibiotic consumption nor the percentage of antibiotic prescriptions was influenced by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This study suggests that MAMS plays an important role in reducing antibiotic use and is not affected by special circumstances such as the COVID-19 pandemic. This novel intervention, consisting of a quality premium and multidisciplinary cooperation, should be prioritized by policy and decision makers, where rational management of antimicrobial use is urgently needed.

Randomized Clinical Trial to Evaluate the Effect of Canephron N in Comparison to Ciprofloxacin in the Prevention of Postoperative Lower Urinary Tract Infections after Midurethral Sling Surgery

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the most common reasons for antibiotic prescriptions among women worldwide. UTIs are also associated with intra- and postoperative catheterization, which is an essential component of many gynecological surgical procedures, including midurethral sling (MUS) placement.&#x0D; The aim of this study was to compare the incidence of UTI subsequent to a MUS procedure.&#x0D; The study involved 562 female patients who underwent MUS procedures due to stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Patients were assigned in a 1:1 ratio to two study groups: patients receiving 500 mg of ciprofloxacin three times a day for 3 consecutive days after surgery or patients receiving 5 mL of Canephron taken orally three times a day for 3 weeks.&#x0D; After analyzing the collected data, it was found that in the group of patients receiving ciprofloxacin, 29 women (10.98 %) had a UTI, whereas in the group of patients receiving Canephron, 36 women (13.64 %) had a UTI within 6 months after the patient’s MUS procedure. No statistically significant difference between the two groups was noted. Postoperative prophylaxis with a phytodrug can be perceived as an attractive option in the reduction of antibiotic consumption among female patients after a MUS procedure.