Antimicrobial Stewardship Approach: Strategy to Enhance Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs in Arizona Long-Term Care

Background: Implementing robust antimicrobial stewardship programs within long-term care facilities (LTCFs) presents unique challenges not typically seen in other healthcare settings. These facilities tend to care for older adults, rely on limited on-site clinician availability and experience higher-than-normal staff turnover. Many LTCFs lack the resources and expertise to track and analyze antibiotics usage. Through a collaborative effort between the Arizona Department of Health Services and the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy, support for carrying out stewardship activities was provided to these healthcare facilities. Our objective was to assess the viability of using pharmacy prescribing data to evaluate antibiotics usage among LTCFs throughout Arizona to assist in development of antimicrobial stewardship interventions. Methods: We invited interested LTCFs to participate in the development and enhancement of antimicrobial stewardship programs. We analyzed antibiotic prescribing data from November 2017 through November 2018 to assess the types and quantities of antibiotics prescribed. We worked with pharmacies to obtain a deidentified dataset that included unique patient identifiers, transaction (start) date, agent name, directions for use, route of administration, quantity dispensed, and stop dates. We estimated duration of treatment by assessing antibiotic starts using the number of transaction dates and unique patient identifiers for repeat prescriptions. Each agent was evaluated individually and assigned to an antibiotic category to better assess cumulative prescribing. Results: Through assistance from our community partners, we recruited 11 facilities to participate and worked with 5 servicing pharmacies to obtain a complete dataset for 6 LTCFs. For the facilities evaluated, there were a total of 4,654 antibiotic prescriptions. The most commonly prescribed antibiotic categories were fluroquinolones (24.3% of prescriptions) and oral β-lactams (17.8% of prescriptions). The third most commonly prescribed antibiotics were agents utilized against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (13.7% of prescriptions). Antibiotic duration ranged from 1 to 304 days of therapy. Conclusions: Working directly with servicing pharmacies is an efficient way to obtain antibiotic prescribing data for LTCFs. During the 1-year period evaluated, antibiotic prescription rates varied between LTCFs. Despite numerous warnings, the fluroquinolone class continue to be among the most commonly prescribed antibiotics. Visualizing trends in LTCFs antibiotic data is an optimal way to develop and enhance antimicrobial stewardship programs in LTCFs. This fundamental information can help identify areas in which a facility can focus their stewardship efforts and provide a baseline for monitoring progress over time.Funding: NoneDisclosures: None

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2044. An Assessment and Feedback Model Bringing Antimicrobial Stewardship Program Expertise to Long-Term Care Facilities

Open Forum Infectious Diseases ◽

10.1093/ofid/ofz360.1724 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 6 (Supplement_2) ◽

pp. S687-S687

Author(s):

Philip Chung ◽

Kate Tyner ◽

Scott Bergman ◽

Teresa Micheels ◽

Mark E Rupp ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Antimicrobial Stewardship ◽

Long Term Care ◽

Rank Test ◽

Post Intervention ◽

Term Care ◽

Clostridioides Difficile ◽

Stewardship Program ◽

Days Of Therapy ◽

Care Facilities

Abstract Background Long-term care facilities (LTCF) often struggle with implementation of antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASP) that meet all CDC core elements (CE). The CDC recommends partnership with infectious diseases (ID)/ASP experts to guide ASP implementation. The Nebraska Antimicrobial Stewardship Assessment and Promotion Program (ASAP) is an initiative funded by NE DHHS via a CDC grant to assist healthcare facilities with ASP implementation. Methods ASAP performed on-site baseline evaluation of ASP in 5 LTCF (42–293 beds) in the spring of 2017 using a 64-item questionnaire based on CDC CE. After interviewing ASP members, ASAP provided prioritized facility-specific recommendations for ASP implementation. LTCF were periodically contacted in the next 12 months to provide implementation support and evaluate progress. The number of CE met, recommendations implemented, antibiotic starts (AS) and days of therapy (DOT)/1000 resident-days (RD), and incidence of facility-onset Clostridioides difficile infections (FO-CDI) were compared 6 to 12 months before and after on-site visits. Paired t-test and Wilcoxon signed rank test were used for statistical analyses. Results Multidisciplinary ASP existed in all 5 facilities at baseline with medical directors (n = 2) or directors of nursing (n = 3) designated as team leads. Median CE implemented increased from 3 at baseline to 6 at the end of follow-up (P = 0.06). No LTCF had all 7 CE at baseline. By the end of one year, 2 facilities implemented all 7 CE with the remaining implementing 6 CE. LTCF not meeting all CE were only deficient in reporting ASP metrics to providers and staff. Among the 38 recommendations provided by ASAP, 82% were partially or fully implemented. Mean AS/1000 RD reduced by 19% from 10.1 at baseline to 8.2 post-intervention (P = 0.37) and DOT/1000 RD decreased by 21% from 91.7 to 72.5 (P = 0.20). The average incidence of FO-CDI decreased by 75% from 0.53 to 0.13 cases/10,000 RD (P = 0.25). Conclusion Assessment of LTCF ASP along with feedback for improvement by ID/ASP experts resulted in more programs meeting all 7 CE. Favorable reductions in antimicrobial use and CDI rates were also observed. Moving forward, the availability of these services should be expanded to all LTCFs struggling with ASP implementation. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.

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A recipe for antimicrobial stewardship success: Using intervention mapping to develop a program to reduce antibiotic overuse in long-term care

Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology ◽

10.1017/ice.2018.281 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 40 (1) ◽

pp. 24-31 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Andrea Chambers ◽

Sam MacFarlane ◽

Rosemary Zvonar ◽

Gerald Evans ◽

Julia E. Moore ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Behavior Change ◽

Antimicrobial Stewardship ◽

Long Term Care ◽

Asymptomatic Bacteriuria ◽

Barriers And Facilitators ◽

Antibiotic Prescribing ◽

Term Care ◽

Antibiotic Overuse ◽

Tract Infections

AbstractObjectiveTo better understand barriers and facilitators that contribute to antibiotic overuse in long-term care and to use this information to inform an evidence and theory-informed program.MethodsInformation on barriers and facilitators associated with the assessment and management of urinary tract infections were identified from a mixed-methods survey and from focus groups with stakeholders working in long-term care. Each barrier or facilitator was mapped to corresponding determinants of behavior change, as described by the theoretical domains framework (TDF). The Rx for Change database was used to identify strategies to address the key determinants of behavior change.ResultsIn total, 19 distinct barriers and facilitators were mapped to 8 domains from the TDF: knowledge, skills, environmental context and resources, professional role or identity, beliefs about consequences, social influences, emotions, and reinforcements. The assessment of barriers and facilitators informed the need for a multifaceted approach with the inclusion of strategies (1) to establish buy-in for the changes; (2) to align organizational policies and procedures; (3) to provide education and ongoing coaching support to staff; (4) to provide information and education to residents and families; (5) to establish process surveillance with feedback to staff; and (6) to deliver reminders.ConclusionsThe use of a stepped approach was valuable to ensure that locally relevant barriers and facilitators to practice change were addressed in the development of a regional program to help long-term care facilities minimize antibiotic prescribing for asymptomatic bacteriuria. This stepped approach provides considerable opportunity to advance the design and impact of antimicrobial stewardship programs.

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Impact of Training Consultant Pharmacists on Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs in Long-Term Care Facilities

Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology ◽

10.1017/ice.2020.1116 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 41 (S1) ◽

pp. s446-s448

Author(s):

Muhammad Salman Ashraf ◽

Philip Chung ◽

Alex Neukirch ◽

Scott Bergman ◽

R. Jennifer Cavalieri ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Antimicrobial Stewardship ◽

Repeated Measures ◽

Long Term Care ◽

Antibiotic Use ◽

Rank Test ◽

Term Care ◽

Days Of Therapy ◽

Care Facilities ◽

Core Elements

Background: The CDC recommends that consultant pharmacists support antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) in long-term care facilities (LTCFs). We studied CDC-recommended ASP core elements implementation and antibiotic use in LTCFs before and after training consultant pharmacists. Methods: Between August 2017 and October 2017, consultant pharmacists from a regional long-term care pharmacy attended 5 didactic sessions preparing them to assist LTCFs in implementation of CDC-recommended ASP core elements. Training also included creating a process for evaluating appropriateness of all systemic antibiotics and providing prescriber feedback during their monthly mandatory drug-regimen reviews. Once monthly “meet-the-expert” sessions were held with consultant pharmacists throughout the project (November 2017 to December 2018). LTCF enrollment began in November 2017 and >90% of facilities joined by January 2018. After enrollment, consultant pharmacists initiated ASP interventions including antibiotic reviews and feedback using standard templates. They also held regular meetings with infection preventionists to discuss Core Elements implementation and provided various ASP resources to LTCFs (eg, antibiotic policy template, guidance documents and standard assessment and communication tools). Data collection included ASP Core Elements, antibiotic starts, days of therapy (DOT), and resident days (RD). The McNemar test, the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, generalized estimating equation model, and the classic repeated measures approach were used to compare the presence of all 7 core elements and antibiotic use during the baseline (2017) and intervention (2018) year.Results: In total, 9 trained consultant pharmacists assisted 32 LTCFs with ASP implementation. When evaluating 27 LTCFs that provided complete data, a significant increase in presence of all 7 Core Elements after the intervention was noted compared to baseline (67% vs 0; median Core Elements, 7 vs 2; range, 6–7 vs 1–6; P < .001). Median monthly antibiotic starts per 1,000 RD and DOT per 1,000 RD decreased in 2018 compared to 2017: 8.93 versus 9.91 (P < .01) and 106.47 versus 141.59 (P < .001), respectively. However, variations in antibiotic use were detected among facilities (Table 1). When comparing trends, antibiotic starts and DOT were already trending downward during 2017 (Fig. 1A and 1B). On average, antibiotic starts decreased by 0.27 per 1,000 RD (P < .001) and DOT by 1.92 per 1,000 RD (P < .001) each month during 2017. Although antibiotic starts remained mostly stable in 2018, DOT continued to decline further (average monthly decline, 2.60 per 1,000 RD; P < .001). When analyzing aggregated mean, antibiotic use across all sites per month by year, DOT were consistently lower throughout 2018 and antibiotic starts were lower for the first 9 months (Fig. 1C and 1D). Conclusions: Consultant pharmacists can play an important role in strengthening ASPs and in decreasing antibiotic use in LTCFs. Educational programs should be developed nationally to train long-term care consultant pharmacists in ASP implementation.Funding: Merck & Co., Inc, provided funding for this study.Disclosures: Muhammad Salman Ashraf and Scott Bergman report receipt of a research grant from Merck.

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Stewardship in the primary care and long-term care settings

10.1093/med/9780198758792.003.0015 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Naomi Fleming

Keyword(s):

Primary Care ◽

Antimicrobial Stewardship ◽

Long Term Care ◽

Diagnostic Tools ◽

Antibiotic Prescribing ◽

Prescribing Practices ◽

Term Care ◽

Care Facilities ◽

Tract Infections

This chapter focuses on stewardship in the primary care and long-term care settings. Antibiotic prescribing in the community accounts for 80% total antibiotic prescribing and approximately 75% of this is for acute respiratory tract infections, many of which are viral. There is also significant variation in prescribing practices that is not explained by differences in presenting patients. These factors suggest that antimicrobial stewardship programmes are necessary. This chapter identifies the components of stewardship that have been successful in influencing antibiotic prescribing in primary care and shares local experiences with practical examples. The lack of UK evidence about antimicrobial stewardship in long-term care facilities is discussed, along with successful interventions from overseas. Challenges within these settings are highlighted, including patient demand, lack of access to microbiological and diagnostic tools, competing targets, time pressures, and clinical uncertainty.

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199. Evaluating long-term care pharmacy dispense data to monitor antibiotic use in U.S. nursing homes

Open Forum Infectious Diseases ◽

10.1093/ofid/ofaa439.243 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S104-S104

Author(s):

Katryna A Gouin ◽

Stephen M Creasy ◽

Manjiri Kulkarni ◽

Martha Wdowicki ◽

Nimalie D Stone ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nursing Homes ◽

Long Term Care ◽

National Level ◽

Antibiotic Use ◽

Prescribing Patterns ◽

Antibiotic Prescribing ◽

Term Care ◽

Days Of Therapy ◽

Antibiotic Courses

Abstract Background Automated reporting of antibiotic use (AU) in nursing homes (NHs) may help to identify opportunities to improve antibiotic prescribing practices and inform implementation of stewardship activities. The majority of U.S. NHs contract with long-term care (LTC) pharmacies to dispense prescriptions and provide medication monitoring and reviews. We investigated the feasibility of leveraging LTC pharmacy electronic dispensing data to describe AU in NHs. Methods We analyzed all NH antibiotic dispenses and monthly resident-days in 2017 reported by a large LTC pharmacy. The dispense-level data included facility and resident identifiers, antibiotic class and agent, dispense date and days of therapy (DOT) dispensed. We identified NH antibiotic courses, inclusive of both antibiotic starts and continuations from hospital-initiated courses, by collapsing dispenses of the same drug to the same resident if the subsequent dispense was within three days of the preceding end date. The course duration was the sum of DOT for all dispenses in the course. The AU rate was reported as DOT and courses per 1,000 resident-days. Results AU was described in 326,713 residents admitted to 1,348 NHs (9% of U.S. NHs), covering 38.1 million resident-days. There were 576,228 dispenses for a total of 3.3 million antibiotic DOT at a rate of 86 DOT/1,000 resident-days. After collapsing dispenses, 324,306 antibiotic courses were defined at a rate of 9 courses/1,000 resident-days. During the year, 45% of residents received an antibiotic. The most frequently prescribed classes by DOT and courses were cephalosporins, penicillins, urinary anti-infectives and quinolones (Fig. 1). The top agents by DOT were levofloxacin (12%), sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (12%) and cephalexin (11%). Most course durations were 1–7 days (54%) or 8–14 days (35%) (Fig. 2). Long-term antibiotic courses (> 30 days) contributed to 5% of courses and 30% of overall DOT. The mean duration per course was 7.5 days when courses > 30 days were excluded. Figure 1. Distribution of antibiotic courses and days of therapy by antibiotic class for 324,306 antibiotic courses and 3.3 million days of antibiotic therapy dispensed to 1,348 nursing homes from a long-term care pharmacy in 2017 Figure 2. Distribution of antibiotic course duration and cumulative percent of total antibiotic days of therapy for 324,306 antibiotic courses dispensed to 1,348 nursing homes from a long-term care pharmacy in 2017 Conclusion LTC pharmacy dispenses may be an accessible data source to report NH AU rates and prescribing patterns by antibiotic class and agent. Further evaluation of data sources for facility- and national-level AU reporting in NHs is needed to support stewardship implementation. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

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Determining Antibiotic Use in Long-Term Care Facilities Across Tennessee

Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology ◽

10.1017/ice.2020.723 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 41 (S1) ◽

pp. s185-s186

Author(s):

Cullen Adre ◽

Youssoufou Ouedraogo ◽

Christopher David Evans ◽

Amelia Keaton ◽

Marion Kainer

Keyword(s):

Infection Control ◽

Antimicrobial Stewardship ◽

Long Term Care ◽

Respiratory Infections ◽

Antibiotic Use ◽

Term Care ◽

Days Of Therapy ◽

Care Facilities ◽

Core Elements

Background: Antibiotic stewardship is an area of great concern in long-term care facilities nationwide. The CDC promotes 7 core elements of antimicrobial stewardship. Based on information obtained from the Infection Control Assessment and Response (ICAR) Program, the 2 core elements most infrequently achieved by LTCFs are tracking and reporting. Currently, minimal data are available on antibiotic use (AU) in LTCFs in Tennessee. To address both issues, the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) developed a monthly antibiotic use (AU) point-prevalence (PP) survey to provide LTCFs with a free tool to both track and report their AU and to gather data on how LTCFs are using antibiotics. Methods: We used REDCap to create a questionnaire to collect information on selected antibiotics administered in Tennessee LTCFs. This self-administered survey was promoted through the TDH monthly antimicrobial stewardship and infection control (ASIC) call as well as at various conferences and speaking engagements across the state. Antimicrobial stewardship leads for each facility were targeted. Antibiotics were grouped into 4 classes according to their indications: C. difficile infections, urinary tract infections, skin and soft-tissue infections (SSTIs) and respiratory infections. We determined AU percentage by dividing the number of days of therapy for a drug by a facility’s average census. Individualized reports are provided to each participating facility on a quarterly basis. Results: Currently, 16 facilities have participated in the survey. Overall, 40.7% of antibiotics prescribed were in the common for SSTI category and 39.3% were common for respiratory infections. The top 33 most commonly prescribed antibiotics were amoxicillin (156 days of therapy [DOT]), nitrofurantoin (92 DOT), and levofloxacin (88 DOT). The average percentage of residents on antimicrobials on the day of survey was 12.3%; within this group, 57% of antibiotics were initiated in the LTCF, whereas 43% were present upon admission. Conclusions: Early results from the TDH AU PP survey revealed that drugs commonly used for SSTIs and respiratory infection were the most common antibiotic prescriptions and a potential area of focus for TDH’s antimicrobial stewardship efforts. None of the 3 most frequently prescribed antibiotics, however, fall under the SSTI indication, despite SSTI being the most commonly prescribed indication based on the survey’s evaluation metrics. This finding could be related to the larger number of antibiotics that fall under the SSTI indication. Preliminary data are being used to guide the direction of TDH’s future ASIC calls to better suit disease states, which have room for improvement.Funding: NoneDisclosures: None

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2046. A Qualitative Study on Perceived Barriers and Facilitators of Implementing an Antimicrobial Stewardship Intervention in the Management of Urinary Tract Infections in a Long-Term Care Setting

Open Forum Infectious Diseases ◽

10.1093/ofid/ofz360.1726 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 6 (Supplement_2) ◽

pp. S688-S689

Author(s):

April Chan ◽

Denis O’Donnell ◽

Benjamin Kaasa ◽

Annalise Mathers ◽

Nicoleta Paraschiv ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Urinary Tract ◽

Antimicrobial Stewardship ◽

Long Term Care ◽

Structured Interview ◽

Barriers And Facilitators ◽

Antibiotic Prescribing ◽

Term Care ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Tract Infections

Abstract Background 50% of antibiotic courses in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) are unnecessary, leading to increased risk of harm such as Clostridiodes difficile infection and antibiotic-resistant organisms. Antimicrobial stewardship (AS) interventions play an important role in optimizing antibiotic use. Most studies addressing strategies to improve antibiotic prescribing in LTCFs showed modest and unsustained results. We aimed to identify facilitators, barriers and strategies in implementing a urinary tract infection (UTI)-focused AS intervention at an LTCF in Toronto. Methods A qualitative approach using conventional content analysis was used. Through purposeful sampling, we recruited different LTCF healthcare providers and administrators at Kensington Gardens. Interviewees attended focus groups or one-on-one interviews. Data were collected using a semi-structured interview guide. Data were analyzed inductively using a codebook modified in an iterative analytic process. Barriers and facilitators with potential strategies were summarized and mapped using the COM-B (capability, opportunity, motivation and behavior) model (Mitchie et al.) and emerging themes identified. Results Sixteen participants were interviewed. The most common barriers were family pressure, lack of access and test result delay while the barrier themes were lack of access, inadequate communication, lack of time and lack of knowledge of both HCPs and resident’s families. These can be addressed by the most common facilitators and facilitator themes, which included good communication between healthcare professionals (HCPs), education for HCPs and families and collaboration between HCPs. Most barriers and facilitators were mapped to the opportunities domain of the COM-B model. Conclusion Strategies for improved UTI-focused antimicrobial stewardship intervention in LTC setting should focus on increasing opportunities and innovative formats for education, communication and collaboration among HCPs and with families although barriers and facilitators in all aspects of the COM-B model were identified. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.

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Barriers and facilitators of implementing an antimicrobial stewardship intervention for urinary tract infection in a long-term care facility

Canadian Pharmacists Journal / Revue des Pharmaciens du Canada ◽

10.1177/1715163521989756 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 171516352198975

Author(s):

April J. Chan ◽

Denis O’Donnell ◽

Benjamin Kaasa ◽

Annalise Mathers ◽

Alexandra Papaioannou ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Urinary Tract Infection ◽

Urinary Tract ◽

Tract Infection ◽

Antimicrobial Stewardship ◽

Long Term Care ◽

External Factors ◽

Barriers And Facilitators ◽

Antibiotic Prescribing ◽

Term Care

Background: Fifty percent of antibiotic courses in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) are unnecessary, leading to increased risk of harm. Most studies to improve antibiotic prescribing in LTCFs showed modest and unsustained results. We aimed to identify facilitators, barriers and strategies in implementing a urinary tract infection (UTI)–focused antimicrobial stewardship (AS) intervention at a LTCF, with the secondary objective of exploring the pharmacist’s potential roles. Methods: The study used a qualitative descriptive design. Participants attended either a focus group or one-on-one interview. Data were analyzed inductively using a codebook modified in an iterative analytic process. Barrier and facilitator themes were mapped using the capability, opportunity, motivation and behaviour (COM-B) model. Similarly, themes were identified from the transcripts regarding the pharmacist’s roles. Results: Sixteen participants were interviewed. Most barriers and facilitators mapped to the opportunities domain of the COM-B model. The main barrier themes were lack of access, lack of knowledge, ineffective communication, lack of resources and external factors, while the main facilitator themes were education, effective collaboration, good communication, sufficient resources and access. For the pharmacist’s role, the barrier themes were ineffective collaboration and communication. Conclusion: This study supports the importance of tailoring interventions to target factors underlying barriers to behaviour change. At this LTCF, an effective antimicrobial stewardship intervention should incorporate strategies to improve access, knowledge, communication and collaboration in its design, having sufficient resources and addressing external factors to optimize its success and long-term sustainability. Can Pharm J (Ott) 2021;154:xx-xx.

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14. Outcomes from the AHRQ Safety Program for Improving Antibiotic Use Across 439 Long-term Care Facilities

Open Forum Infectious Diseases ◽

10.1093/ofid/ofaa417.013 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S8-S8

Author(s):

Morgan Katz ◽

Theresa A Rowe ◽

Sara E Cosgrove ◽

Pranita D Tamma ◽

Melissa A Miller ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Long Term Care ◽

Panel Member ◽

Antibiotic Use ◽

Antibiotic Prescribing ◽

Research Support ◽

Review Panel ◽

Term Care ◽

Safety Program ◽

Days Of Therapy

Abstract Background Implementing effective antibiotic stewardship programs (ASPs) in long-term care (LTC) settings is challenging. We present the results of an intervention intended to change the culture of antibiotic prescribing in 439 United States LTC facilities (LTCF). Methods The LTC Safety Program assisted LTCFs with establishing and implementing ASPs from 12/2018 to 11/2019. Through webinars held 1–2 times per month and other educational content, the Safety Program emphasized 1) the science of safety to improve teamwork and identify antibiotic-associated harm and 2) clinical best practices in making antibiotic treatment decisions. Content was organized using the Four Moments of Antibiotic Decision Making Framework (Figure 1). All staff (e.g., physicians, nurses, nurse assistants) were encouraged to participate. LTCFs submitted monthly antibiotic days of therapy (DOT), numbers of new antibiotic starts, urine cultures (UCX) ordered, Clostridioides difficile LabID events, and census data. Generalized linear mixed effects models were used to calculate pre-post intervention changes at bi-monthly intervals for antibiotic DOT, antibiotic starts and UCX, each per 1,000 resident-days (RD), and C. difficile LabID events per 10,000 RD, comparing the beginning (1/2019 and 2/2019) and end (11/2019 and 12/2019) of the Safety Program. Figure 1. Four Moments of Antibiotic Decision Making in the Long-Term Care Setting Results Of 439 LTCFs who completed the Safety program, the majority were mid-sized (75–149 beds; 229, 52.2%), most were non-hospital based and owned by a larger system (246, 56.0%), with similar distributions between urban and rural settings. Of these, 348 (79%) submitted both baseline and end-of-intervention data. Antibiotic starts decreased from 7.89 to 7.48 starts/1000 RD; P = 0.02). Days of therapy for all antibiotics decreased from 64.1 to 61.0 DOT/1,000 RD; P = 0.068) and for fluoroquinolones (an antibiotic targeted in the Safety Program) from 1.49 to 1.28 DOT/1,000RD; P=0.002. UCX decreased from 3.01 to 2.63 orders/1000 RD; P = 0.001). There were no significant differences in C. difficile LabID events Table 1. Table 1. Changes from baseline (Jan-Feb, 2019) to the end (Nov-Dec, 2019) of the AHRQ Safety Program Conclusion By targeting both antibiotic prescribing culture and knowledge of best practices, the AHRQ Safety Program led to significant reductions in antibiotic use across a large cohort of LTCFs. Disclosures Morgan Katz, MD, MHS, AHRQ (Research Grant or Support)FutureCare Health Systems (Consultant)Roche (Advisor or Review Panel member) Robin Jump, MD, PhD, Accelerate (Grant/Research Support)Merck (Grant/Research Support)Pfizer (Grant/Research Support, Advisor or Review Panel member)Roche (Advisor or Review Panel member)

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