Implementing outpatient antimicrobial stewardship in a primary care office through ambulatory care pharmacist-led audit and feedback

Abstract Background More than 90% of antibiotics are prescribed in primary care, but 50% may be unnecessary. Reducing unnecessary antibiotic overuse is needed to limit antimicrobial resistance. We conducted a pragmatic trial of a primary care provider-focused antimicrobial stewardship intervention to reduce antibiotic prescriptions in primary care. Methods Primary care practitioners from six primary care clinics in Toronto, Ontario were assigned to intervention or control groups to evaluate the effectiveness of a multi-faceted intervention for reducing antibiotic prescriptions to adults with respiratory and urinary tract infections. The intervention included provider education, clinical decision aids, and audit and feedback of antibiotic prescribing. The primary outcome was total antibiotic prescriptions for these infections. Secondary outcomes were delayed prescriptions, prescriptions longer than 7 days, recommended antibiotic use, and outcomes for individual infections. Generalized estimating equations were used to estimate treatment effects, adjusting for clustering by clinic and baseline differences. Results There were 1682 encounters involving 54 primary care providers from January until May 31, 2019. In intervention clinics, the odds of any antibiotic prescription was reduced 22% (adjusted Odds Ratio (OR) = 0.78; 95% Confidence Interval (CI) = 0.64.0.96). The odds that a delay in filling a prescription was recommended was increased (adjusted OR=2.29; 95% CI=1.37, 3.83), while prescription durations greater than 7 days were reduced (adjusted OR=0.24; 95% CI=0.13, 0.43). Recommended antibiotic use was similar in control (85.4%) and intervention clinics (91.8%, p=0.37). Conclusions A community-based, primary care provider-focused antimicrobial stewardship intervention was associated with a reduced likelihood of antibiotic prescriptions for respiratory and urinary infections, an increase in delayed prescriptions, and reduced prescription durations. Trial registration clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03517215).

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A Nationwide Survey of Australian General Practitioners on Antimicrobial Stewardship: Awareness, Uptake, Collaboration with Pharmacists and Improvement Strategies

Antibiotics ◽

10.3390/antibiotics9060310 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (6) ◽

pp. 310 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Sajal K. Saha ◽

David C. M. Kong ◽

Karin Thursky ◽

Danielle Mazza

Keyword(s):

Primary Care ◽

General Practitioners ◽

Antimicrobial Stewardship ◽

Point Of Care ◽

Nationwide Survey ◽

Audit And Feedback ◽

Antimicrobial Use ◽

Antimicrobial Prescribing ◽

Information Leaflets ◽

Improvement Strategies

Implementing antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programs is central to optimise antimicrobial use in primary care. This study aims to assess general practitioners’ (GPs’) awareness of AMS, uptake of AMS strategies, attitudes towards GP–pharmacist collaboration in AMS and future AMS improvement strategies. A paper-based survey of nationally representative GPs across Australia was conducted in 2019. Of 386 respondent GPs, 68.9% were familiar with AMS. Respondents most frequently used the Therapeutic Guidelines (TG) (83.2%, 321/385) and delayed antimicrobial prescribing (72.2%, 278/385) strategies, whereas few utilised point-of-care tests (18.4%, 71/382), patient information leaflets (20.2%, 78/384), peer prescribing reports (15.5%, 60/384) and audit and feedback (9.8%, 38/384). GPs were receptive to pharmacists’ recommendations on the choice (50.5%, 192/381) and dose (63%, 241/382) of antimicrobials, and more than 60% (235/381) supported a policy fostering increased GP–pharmacist collaboration. Most GPs agreed to have AMS training (72%, 278/386), integration of electronic TG (eTG) with prescribing software (88.3%, 341/386) and policies limiting the prescribing of selected antimicrobials (74.4%, 287/386) in the future. Conclusively, GPs are aware of the importance of judicious antimicrobial prescribing but inadequately uptake evidence-based AMS strategies. The majority of GPs support GP–pharmacist collaborative AMS approaches to optimise antimicrobial use. Developing a feasible GP–pharmacist collaborative AMS implementation model and facilitating stewardship resources and training could foster AMS activities in primary care.

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Pediatrician Perceptions of an Outpatient Antimicrobial Stewardship Intervention

Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology ◽

10.1086/677826 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 35 (S3) ◽

pp. S69-S78 ◽

Cited By ~ 43

Author(s):

Julia E. Szymczak ◽

Kristen A. Feemster ◽

Theoklis E. Zaoutis ◽

Jeffrey S. Gerber

Keyword(s):

Primary Care ◽

Respiratory Tract ◽

Antimicrobial Stewardship ◽

Respiratory Tract Infections ◽

Audit And Feedback ◽

Antibiotic Prescribing ◽

Theory Approach ◽

Antibiotic Overuse ◽

Acute Respiratory Tract Infections ◽

Tract Infections

Objective.Inappropriate antibiotic prescribing commonly occurs in pediatric outpatients with acute respiratory tract infections. Antimicrobial stewardship programs are recommended for use in the hospital, but less is known about whether and how they will work in the ambulatory setting. Following a successful cluster-randomized trial to improve prescribing for common acute respiratory tract infections using education plus audit and feedback in a large, pediatric primary care network, we sought to explore the perceptions of the intervention and antibiotic overuse among participating clinicians.Methods.We conducted a qualitative study using semistructured interviews with 24 pediatricians from 6 primary care practices who participated in an outpatient antimicrobial stewardship intervention. All interviews were transcribed and analyzed using a modified grounded theory approach.Results.Deep skepticism of the audit and feedback reports emerged. Respondents ignored reports or expressed distrust about them. One respondent admitted to gaming behavior. When asked about antibiotic overuse, respondents recognized it as a problem, but they believed it was driven by the behaviors of nonpediatric physicians. Parent pressure for antibiotics was identified by all respondents as a major barrier to the more judicious use of antibiotics. Respondents reported that they sometimes “caved” to parent pressure for social reasons.Conclusions.To improve the effectiveness and sustainability of outpatient antimicrobial stewardship, it is critical to boost the credibility of audit data, engage primary care pediatricians in recognizing that their behavior contributes to antibiotic overuse, and address parent pressure to prescribe antibiotics.

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Alcoholism Is Treatable In Primary Care Office

Internal Medicine News ◽

10.1016/s1097-8690(06)74037-9 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 39 (16) ◽

pp. 33

Author(s):

MARY ANN MOON

Keyword(s):

Primary Care ◽

Primary Care Office

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Lessons Learned From a Pilot Project on Telemedicine Advance Care Planning in an Urban Geriatric Primary Care Office

American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine® ◽

10.1177/10499091211036978 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 104990912110369

Author(s):

Olivia M. Seecof ◽

Molly Allanoff ◽

John Liantonio ◽

Susan Parks

Keyword(s):

Primary Care ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Medical Record ◽

Advance Care Planning ◽

Pilot Project ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Care Planning ◽

Geriatric Population ◽

Advance Care ◽

Primary Care Office

Purpose: There is a dearth of literature regarding the documentation of advance care planning (ACP) in the geriatric population, despite the controversial, yet well-studied need for ACP. The purpose of this pilot study was to provide an update to a prior study from our institution that outlined the need for increased documentation of advance care planning (ACP) in an urban geriatric population. Methods: Our study involved using telemedicine to conduct dedicated ACP visits and an electronic medical record (EMR) note-template specifically designed for these visits in an attempt to increase the amount of documented ACP in the EMR in this population. Results: The study did not yield significant results due to the inability to schedule enough patients for these dedicated visits. Discussion: While our study was ultimately unsuccessful, 3 crucial lessons were identified that will inform and fuel future interventions by the authors to further the study of documentation of ACP.

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Acceptability and effectiveness of antimicrobial stewardship implementation strategies on fluoroquinolone prescribing

Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology ◽

10.1017/ice.2021.10 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-8

Author(s):

Katie J. Suda ◽

Gosia S. Clore ◽

Charlesnika T. Evans ◽

Heather Schacht Reisinger ◽

Ibuola Kale ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Antimicrobial Stewardship ◽

Clinical Pathways ◽

Statistical Significance ◽

Implementation Strategies ◽

Antibiotic Use ◽

Audit And Feedback ◽

Prior Approval ◽

Days Of Therapy ◽

Prospective Audit And Feedback ◽

Advanced Generation

Abstract Objective: To assess the effectiveness and acceptability of antimicrobial stewardship-focused implementation strategies on inpatient fluoroquinolones. Methods: Stewardship champions at 15 hospitals were surveyed regarding the use and acceptability of strategies to improve fluoroquinolone prescribing. Antibiotic days of therapy (DOT) per 1,000 days present (DP) for sites with and without prospective audit and feedback (PAF) and/or prior approval were compared. Results: Among all of the sites, 60% had PAF or prior approval implemented for fluoroquinolones. Compared to sites using neither strategy (64.2 ± 34.4 DOT/DP), fluoroquinolone prescribing rates were lower for sites that employed PAF and/or prior approval (35.5 ± 9.8; P = .03) and decreased from 2017 to 2018 (P < .001). This decrease occurred without an increase in advanced-generation cephalosporins. Total antibiotic rates were 13% lower for sites with PAF and/or prior approval, but this difference did not reach statistical significance (P = .20). Sites reporting that PAF and/or prior approval were “completely” accepted had lower fluoroquinolone rates than sites where it was “moderately” accepted (34.2 ± 5.7 vs 48.7 ± 4.5; P < .01). Sites reported that clinical pathways and/or local guidelines (93%), prior approval (93%), and order forms (80%) “would” or “may” be effective in improving fluoroquinolone use. Although most sites (73%) indicated that requiring infectious disease consults would or may be effective in improving fluoroquinolones, 87% perceived implementation to be difficult. Conclusions: PAF and prior approval implementation strategies focused on fluoroquinolones were associated with significantly lower fluoroquinolone prescribing rates and nonsignificant decreases in total antibiotic use, suggesting limited evidence for class substitution. The association of acceptability of strategies with lower rates highlights the importance of culture. These results may indicate increased acceptability of implementation strategies and/or sensitivity to FDA warnings.

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Antimicrobial Prophylaxis Use in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: An Antimicrobial Stewardship Target That Deserves Attention!

American Journal of Perinatology ◽

10.1055/s-0040-1722600 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Isabelle Viel-Thériault ◽

Amisha Agarwal ◽

Erika Bariciak ◽

Nicole Le Saux ◽

Nisha Thampi

Keyword(s):

Intensive Care ◽

Antimicrobial Stewardship ◽

Neonatal Intensive Care ◽

Tertiary Care ◽

Audit And Feedback ◽

Clinical Indication ◽

Surgical Prophylaxis ◽

Early Onset Sepsis ◽

Days Of Therapy ◽

Antibiotic Courses

Objective Previous analyses of neonatal intensive care units (NICU) antimicrobial stewardship programs have identified key contributors to overall antibiotic use, including prolonged empiric therapy >48 hours for early-onset sepsis (EOS). However, most were performed in mixed NICU settings with onsite birthing units, resulting in a high proportion of inborn patient admissions. The study aimed to describe and analyze the most common reasons for antimicrobial use in an outborn tertiary care NICU. Study Design This was a 10-month review of all antimicrobial doses prescribed in a 20-bed level III NICU. The primary outcome was the total days of therapy (DOT) and length of therapy (LOT) for each clinical indication. Secondary outcomes included total DOT for each antimicrobial and appropriateness of antimicrobial courses. Results Of 235 antibiotic courses and 1,899 DOT (519 DOT/1,000 patient days) prescribed in 173 infants during the study period, the most common indications were suspected EOS, followed by prophylaxis. Among the 85 DOT/1,000 patient days (PD; 38 courses) prescribed for prophylaxis, 52.5 DOT/1,000 PD (25 courses; 62%) were for surgical prophylaxis. Of 17 postoperative antibiotic courses, 15 (88.2%) were deemed to be inappropriate mostly due to a duration greater than 24 hours postoperatively (n = 13; median LOT = 3 days). Conclusion Surgical prophylaxis is a common reason for antimicrobial misuse in outborn NICU. NICU-based prospective audit and feedback between neonatologists and antimicrobial stewardship teams alone may not be impactful in this setting. Partnerships with neonatologists and surgeons will be key to achieving the target of less than 24 hours of postoperative antimicrobials. Key Points

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Finding the path of least resistance: Locally adapting the MITIGATE toolkit in emergency departments and urgent care centers

Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology ◽

10.1017/ice.2020.1394 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-3

Author(s):

Joanne Huang ◽

Zahra Kassamali Escobar ◽

Todd S. Bouchard ◽

Jose Mari G. Lansang ◽

Rupali Jain ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Primary Care ◽

Emergency Department ◽

Antimicrobial Stewardship ◽

Emergency Departments ◽

Urgent Care ◽

Complex Data ◽

University Of Washington ◽

Primary Care Clinics ◽

Urgent Care Centers ◽

The University

Abstract The MITIGATE toolkit was developed to assist urgent care and emergency departments in the development of antimicrobial stewardship programs. At the University of Washington, we adopted the MITIGATE toolkit in 10 urgent care centers, 9 primary care clinics, and 1 emergency department. We encountered and overcame challenges: a complex data build, choosing feasible outcomes to measure, issues with accurate coding, and maintaining positive stewardship relationships. Herein, we discuss solutions to challenges we encountered to provide guidance for those considering using this toolkit.

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142. Implementing an Antimicrobial Stewardship Program in the Outpatient Setting

Open Forum Infectious Diseases ◽

10.1093/ofid/ofaa439.187 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S82-S82

Author(s):

Travis B Nielsen ◽

Maressa Santarossa ◽

Beatrice D Probst ◽

Laurie Labuszewski ◽

Jenna Lopez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Primary Care ◽

Antimicrobial Stewardship ◽

Inappropriate Prescribing ◽

The United States ◽

Outpatient Setting ◽

Urgent Care ◽

Antibiotic Prescribing ◽

Antimicrobial Stewardship Program ◽

Post Intervention ◽

Stewardship Program

Abstract Background Antimicrobial-resistant infections lead to increased morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. Among the most facile modifiable risk factors for developing resistance is inappropriate prescribing. The CDC estimates that 47 million (or ≥30% of) outpatient antibiotic prescriptions in the United States are unnecessary. This has provided impetus for expanding our antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) into the outpatient setting. Initial goals included the following: continuous evaluation and reporting of antibiotic prescribing compliance; minimize underuse of antibiotics from delayed diagnoses and misdiagnoses; ensure proper drug, dose, and duration; improve the percentage of appropriate prescriptions. Methods To achieve these goals, we first sent a baseline survey to outpatient prescribers, assessing their understanding of stewardship and antimicrobial resistance. Questions were modeled from the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) Precious Drugs & Scary Bugs Campaign. The survey was sent to prescribers at 19 primary care and three immediate/urgent care clinics. Compliance rates for prescribing habits were subsequently tracked via electronic health records and reported to prescribers in accordance with IRB approval. Results Prescribers were highly knowledgeable about what constitutes appropriate prescribing, with verified compliance rates highly concordant with self-reported rates. However, 74% of respondents reported intense pressure from patients to inappropriately prescribe antimicrobials. Compliance rates have been tracked since December 2018 and comparing pre- with post-intervention rates shows improvement in primary care since reporting rates to prescribers in August 2019. Conclusion Reporting compliance rates has been helpful in avoiding inappropriate antimicrobial therapy. However, the survey data reinforce the importance of behavioral interventions to bolster ASP efficacy in the outpatient setting. Going forward, posters modeled off of the IDPH template will be conspicuously exhibited in exam rooms, indicating institutional commitment to the enumerated ASP guidelines. Future studies will allow for comparison of pre- and post-intervention knowledge and prescriber compliance. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

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