Comparison of criteria for determining appropriateness of antibiotic prescribing in nursing homes

Author(s):  
Daniela Uribe-Cano ◽  
Mozhdeh Bahranian ◽  
Sally A. Jolles ◽  
Lindsay N. Taylor ◽  
Jill J. Miller ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Measuring the appropriateness of antibiotic prescribing in nursing homes remains a challenge. The revised McGeer criteria, which are widely used to conduct infection surveillance in nursing homes, were not designed to assess antibiotic appropriateness. The Loeb criteria were explicitly designed for this purpose but are infrequently used outside investigational studies. The extent to which the revised McGeer and Loeb criteria overlap and can be used interchangeably for tracking antibiotic appropriateness in nursing homes remains insufficiently studied. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional chart review study in 5 Wisconsin nursing homes and applied the revised McGeer and Loeb criteria to all nursing home–initiated antibiotic treatment courses. Kappa (κ) statistics were employed to assess level of agreement overall and by treatment indications. Results: Overall, 734 eligible antibiotic courses were initiated in participating nursing homes during the study period. Of 734 antibiotic courses, 372 (51%) satisfied the Loeb criteria, while only 211 (29%) of 734 satisfied the revised McGeer criteria. Only 169 (23%) of 734 antibiotic courses satisfied both criteria, and the overall level of agreement between them was fair (κ = 0.35). When stratified by infection type, levels of agreement between the revised McGeer and Loeb criteria were moderate for urinary tract infections (κ = 0.45), fair for skin and soft-tissue infections (0.36), and slight for respiratory tract infections (0.17). Conclusions: Agreement between the revised McGeer and Loeb criteria is limited, and nursing homes should employ the revised McGeer and Loeb criteria for their intended purposes. Studies to establish the best method for ongoing monitoring of antibiotic appropriateness in nursing homes are needed.

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann Tammelin

Swedish nursing homes are obliged to have a management system for systematic quality work including self-monitoring of which surveillance of infections is one part. The Department of Infection Control in Stockholm County Council has provided a simple system for infection surveillance to the nursing homes in Stockholm County since 2002. A form is filled in by registered nurses in the nursing homes at each episode of infection among the residents. A bacterial infection is defined by antibiotic prescribing and a viral infection by clinical signs and symptoms. Yearly reports of numbers of infections in each nursing home and calculated normalized figures for incidence, i.e. infections per 100 residents per year, as well as proportion of residents with urinary catheter are delivered to the medically responsible nurses in each municipality by the Department of Infection Control. Number of included residents has varied from 4,531 in 2005 to 8,157 in 2014 with a peak of 10,051 in 2009. The yearly incidences during 2005 - 2014 (cases per 100 residents) were: Urinary tract infection (UTI) 7.9-16.0, Pneumonia 3.7-5.3, Infection of chronic ulcer 3.4–6.8, Other infection in skin or soft tissue 1.4–2.9, Clostridium difficile-infection 0.2–0.7, Influenza 0–0.4 and Viral gastroenteritis 1.2–3.7. About 1 % of the residents have a suprapubic urinary catheter, 6–7 % have an indwelling urinary catheter. Knowledge about the incidence of UTI has contributed to the decrease of this infection both in residents with and without urinary catheter.


Medicina ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sadia Iftikhar ◽  
Muhammad Rehan Sarwar ◽  
Anum Saqib ◽  
Muhammad Sarfraz ◽  
Qurat-ul-ain Shoaib

Background and objective: The noncompliance of treatment guidelines by healthcare professionals, along with physiological variations, makes the pediatric population more prone to antibiotic prescribing errors. The present study aims to evaluate the prescribing practices and errors of the most frequently prescribed antibiotics among pediatric patients suffering from acute respiratory tract infections who had different lengths of stay (LOS) in public hospitals. Methods: A retrospective, cross-sectional study was conducted in five tertiary-care public hospitals of Lahore, Pakistan, between 1 January 2017 and 30 June 2017. The study population consisted of pediatric inpatients aged 0 to 9 years. Results: Among the 11,892 pediatric inpatients, 82.8% were suffering from lower acute respiratory tract infections and had long LOS (53.1%) in hospital. Penicillins (52.4%), cephalosporins (16.8%), and macrolides (8.9%) were the most frequently prescribed antibiotics. Overall, 40.8% of the cases had antibiotic prescribing errors related to wrong dose (19.9%), wrong frequency (18.9%), and duplicate therapy (18.1%). Most of these errors were found in the records of patients who had long LOS in hospital (53.1%). Logistic regression analysis revealed that the odds of prescribing errors were lower in female patients (OR = 0.6, 95% CI = 0.1–0.9, p-value = 0.012). Patients who were prescribed with ≥3 antibiotics per prescription (OR = 1.724, 95% CI = 1.1–2.1, p-value = 0.020), had long LOS (OR = 12.5, 95% CI = 10.1–17.6, p-value < 0.001), and were suffering from upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) (OR = 2.8, 95% CI = 1.7–3.9, p-value < 0.001) were more likely to experience prescribing errors. Conclusion: Antibiotics were commonly prescribed to patients who had long LOS. Prescribing errors (wrong dose, wrong frequency, and duplicate therapy) were commonly found in cases of lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs), especially among those who had prolonged stay in hospital.


2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 72-83
Author(s):  
Azmi Ahmad ◽  
Junainah Nor ◽  
Ariff Arithra Abdullah ◽  
Tuan Hairulnizam Tuan Kamauzaman ◽  
Mohd Boniami Yazid

Background: Emergency departments (EDs) are frequently misused for non-emergency cases such as upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs). Flooding of these cases may contribute to inappropriate antibiotic prescribing. The aim of this study was to determine the patient factors associated with inappropriate antibiotic prescribing for URTIs in the EDs. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved patients over age 3 years old who presented with URTI to the green zone of the ED of a tertiary hospital on the east coast of Malaysia in 2018– 2019. Convenient sampling was done. The patients were categorised into two groups according to their McIsaac scores: positive (≥ 2) or negative (< 2). Antibiotics given to the negative McIsaac group were considered inappropriate. Results: A total of 261 cases were included — 127 with positive and 134 with negative McIsaac scores. The most common symptoms were fever and cough. About 29% had inappropriate antibiotic prescribing with a high rate for amoxycillin. Duration of symptoms of one day or less (OR 18.5; 95% CI: 1.65, 207.10; P = 0.018), presence of chills (OR 4.36; 95% CI: 1.13, 16.88; P = 0.033) and diagnosis of acute tonsillitis (OR 5.26; 95% CI: 1.76, 15.72; P = 0.003) were significantly associated with inappropriate antibiotic prescription. Conclusion: Factors influencing inappropriate antibiotic prescribing should be pointed out to emergency doctors to reduce its incidence.


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. s522-s523
Author(s):  
Corey Medler ◽  
Nicholas Mercuro ◽  
Helina Misikir ◽  
Nancy MacDonald ◽  
Melinda Neuhauser ◽  
...  

Background: Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) interventions have predominantly involved inpatient antimicrobial therapy. However, for many hospitalized patients, most antibiotic use occurs after discharge, and unnecessarily prolonged courses of therapy are common. Patient transition from hospitalization to discharge represents an important opportunity for AMS intervention. We describe patterns of antibiotic use selection and duration of therapy (DOT) for common infections including discharge antibiotics. Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional analysis was derived from an IRB-approved, multihospital, quasi-experiment at a 5-hospital health system in southeastern Michigan. The study population included patients discharged from an inpatient general and specialty practice ward on oral antibiotics from November 2018 through April 2019. Patients were included with the following diagnoses: skin and soft-tissue infections (SSTIs), community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP), respiratory viral infections, acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD), intra-abdominal infections (IAIs), and urinary tract infections (UTIs). Other diagnoses were excluded. Data were extracted from medical records including antibiotic indication, selection, and duration, as well as patient characteristics. Results: In total, 1,574 patients were screened and 800 patients were eligible for inclusion. The most common antibiotic indications were respiratory tract infections, with 487 (60.9%) patients. These included 165 AECOPD cases (20.6%) and 200 CAP cases (25%) with no multidrug resistant organism (MDRO) risk factors; 57 patients (7.1%) with MDRO risk factors; HAP in 7 patients (0.9%); and influenza in 58 patients (7.2%). Also, 205 (25.6%) patients were diagnosed with UTIs: 71 with cystitis (8.9%), 86 (10.8%) with complicated UTI (cUTI), and 48 (6%) with pyelonephritis. Furthermore, 125 patients (15.6%) were diagnosed with SSTI: 59 (7.4%) purulent and 66 (8.3%) nonpurulent. 31 (3.9%) patients had an IAI. The most commonly used antibiotics were cephalosporins in 536 patients (67%), azithromycin in 252 patients (31.5%), and fluroquinolones and tetracyclines in 231 patients (28.9%). Fluroquinolones were the most frequent antibiotic prescribed at discharge in 210 patients (26.3%). Figure 1 displays the average DOT relative to specific indications. The median duration of total antibiotic therapy exceeded institutional guideline recommendation for multiple conditions, including AECOPD (7 days vs recommended 5 days), CAP with COPD (8.3 vs 7 days ), CAP without COPD (7.7 vs 5 days), and pyelonephritis (11 vs 7–10 days). Also, 269 (33.6%) patients received unnecessary therapy; 218 (27.3%) of these were due to excess duration. Conclusions: Among a cross-section of hospitalized patients, the average DOT, including after discharge, exceeded the optimal therapy for many patients. Further understanding of patterns and influences of antibiotic prescribing is necessary to design effective AMS interventions for improvement.Funding: This work was completed under CDC contract number 200-2018-02928.Disclosures: None


Author(s):  
Nhung T H Trinh ◽  
Robert Cohen ◽  
Magali Lemaitre ◽  
Pierre Chahwakilian ◽  
Gregory Coulthard ◽  
...  

Abstract Objectives To assess recent community antibiotic prescribing for French children and identify areas of potential improvement. Methods We analysed 221 768 paediatric (&lt;15 years) visits in a national sample of 680 French GPs and 70 community paediatricians (IQVIA’s EPPM database), from March 2015 to February 2017, excluding well-child visits. We calculated antibiotic prescription rates per 100 visits, separately for GPs and paediatricians. For respiratory tract infections (RTIs), we described broad-spectrum antibiotic use and duration of treatment. We used Poisson regression to identify factors associated with antibiotic prescribing. Results GPs prescribed more antibiotics than paediatricians [prescription rate 26.1 (95% CI 25.9–26.3) versus 21.6 (95% CI 21.0–22.2) per 100 visits, respectively; P &lt; 0.0001]. RTIs accounted for more than 80% of antibiotic prescriptions, with presumed viral RTIs being responsible for 40.8% and 23.6% of all antibiotic prescriptions by GPs and paediatricians, respectively. For RTIs, antibiotic prescription rates per 100 visits were: otitis, 68.1 and 79.8; pharyngitis, 67.3 and 53.3; sinusitis, 67.9 and 77.3; pneumonia, 80.0 and 99.2; bronchitis, 65.2 and 47.3; common cold, 21.7 and 11.6; bronchiolitis 31.6 and 20.1; and other presumed viral RTIs, 24.1 and 11.0, for GPs and paediatricians, respectively. For RTIs, GPs prescribed more broad-spectrum antibiotics [49.8% (95% CI 49.3–50.3) versus 35.6% (95% CI 34.1–37.1), P &lt; 0.0001] and antibiotic courses of similar duration (P = 0.21). After adjustment for diagnosis, antibiotic prescription rates were not associated with season and patient age, but were significantly higher among GPs aged ≥50 years. Conclusions Future antibiotic stewardship campaigns should target presumed viral RTIs, broad-spectrum antibiotic use and GPs aged ≥50 years.


Antibiotics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 653
Author(s):  
Christin Löffler ◽  
Attila Altiner ◽  
Annette Diener ◽  
Reinhard Berner ◽  
Gregor Feldmeier ◽  
...  

Background: Acute respiratory tract infections (ARTI) are the main cause of inappropriate antibiotic prescribing. To date, there is limited evidence concerning whether low levels of antibiotic prescribing may impact patient safety. We investigate whether antibiotic prescribing for patients seeking primary care for ARTI correlates with the odds for hospitalization. Methods: Analysis of patient baseline data (n = 3669) within a cluster-randomized controlled trial. Adult patients suffering from ARTI in German primary care are included. The main outcome measure is acute hospitalization for respiratory infection and for any acute disease from 0 to 42 days after initial consultation. Results: Neither the antibiotic status of individual patients (OR 0.91; 95% CI: 0.49 to 1.69; p-value = 0.769) nor the physician-specific antibiotic prescription rates for ARTI (OR 1.22; 95% CI: 1.00 to 1.49; p-value = 0.054) had a significant effect on hospitalization. The following factors increased the odds for hospitalization: patient’s age, the ARTI being defined as lower respiratory tract infections (such as bronchitis) by the physician, the physician’s perception of disease severity, and being cared for within group practices (versus treated in single-handed practices). Conclusions: In a low-antibiotic-prescribing primary care setting such as Germany, lack of treatment with antibiotics for ARTI did not result in higher odds for hospitalization in an adult population.


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. s127-s128
Author(s):  
Taniece R. Eure ◽  
Nicola D. Thompson ◽  
Austin Penna ◽  
Wendy M. Bamberg ◽  
Grant Barney ◽  
...  

Background: Antibiotics are among the most commonly prescribed drugs in nursing homes; urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a frequent indication. Although there is no gold standard for the diagnosis of UTIs, various criteria have been developed to inform and standardize nursing home prescribing decisions, with the goal of reducing unnecessary antibiotic prescribing. Using different published criteria designed to guide decisions on initiating treatment of UTIs (ie, symptomatic, catheter-associated, and uncomplicated cystitis), our objective was to assess the appropriateness of antibiotic prescribing among NH residents. Methods: In 2017, the CDC Emerging Infections Program (EIP) performed a prevalence survey of healthcare-associated infections and antibiotic use in 161 nursing homes from 10 states: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, and Tennessee. EIP staff reviewed resident medical records to collect demographic and clinical information, infection signs, symptoms, and diagnostic testing documented on the day an antibiotic was initiated and 6 days prior. We applied 4 criteria to determine whether initiation of treatment for UTI was supported: (1) the Loeb minimum clinical criteria (Loeb); (2) the Suspected UTI Situation, Background, Assessment, and Recommendation tool (UTI SBAR tool); (3) adaptation of Infectious Diseases Society of America UTI treatment guidelines for nursing home residents (Crnich & Drinka); and (4) diagnostic criteria for uncomplicated cystitis (cystitis consensus) (Fig. 1). We calculated the percentage of residents for whom initiating UTI treatment was appropriate by these criteria. Results: Of 248 residents for whom UTI treatment was initiated in the nursing home, the median age was 79 years [IQR, 19], 63% were female, and 35% were admitted for postacute care. There was substantial variability in the percentage of residents with antibiotic initiation classified as appropriate by each of the criteria, ranging from 8% for the cystitis consensus, to 27% for Loeb, to 33% for the UTI SBAR tool, to 51% for Crnich and Drinka (Fig. 2). Conclusions: Appropriate initiation of UTI treatment among nursing home residents remained low regardless of criteria used. At best only half of antibiotic treatment met published prescribing criteria. Although insufficient documentation of infection signs, symptoms and testing may have contributed to the low percentages observed, adequate documentation in the medical record to support prescribing should be standard practice, as outlined in the CDC Core Elements of Antibiotic Stewardship for nursing homes. Standardized UTI prescribing criteria should be incorporated into nursing home stewardship activities to improve the assessment and documentation of symptomatic UTI and to reduce inappropriate antibiotic use.Funding: NoneDisclosures: None


Author(s):  
Daniel J. Shapiro ◽  
Laura M. King ◽  
Sharon V. Tsay ◽  
Lauri A. Hicks ◽  
Adam L. Hersh

Abstract Time constraints have been suggested as a potential driver of antibiotic overuse for acute respiratory tract infections. In this cross-sectional analysis of national data from visits to offices and emergency departments, we identified no statistically significant association between antibiotic prescribing and the duration of visits for acute respiratory tract infections.


Author(s):  
Samah Al-Shatnawi ◽  
Sanabel Alhusban ◽  
Shoroq Altawalbeh ◽  
Rawand Khasawneh

Background: Antibiotics’ rational prescribing is a major goal of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) global action-plan to tackle antimicrobial resistance. Evaluation of antibiotic prescribing patterns is necessary to guide simple, globally applicable stewardship interventions. The impact of antimicrobial resistance is devastating, especially in low-income countries. We aimed to introduce ambulatory data on patterns of pediatric antibiotic prescribing in Jordan, which could be used to guide local stewardship interventions. Methods: A cross-sectional retrospective study was conducted by selecting a random sample of pediatric patients, who attended ambulatory settings in 2018. Records of outpatients (age 18 years) receiving at least one antibiotic were included. The WHO’s model of drug utilization was applied, and all prescribing indicators were included. Multiple linear regression was performed to examine factors influencing the ratio of prescribed antibiotics to overall medications per encounter. Results: A total of 20,494 prescriptions, containing 45,241 prescribed drugs, were obtained. Average number of prescribed drugs per prescription was (2.21  0.98). 77.5% of overall ambulatory prescriptions accounted for antimicrobials. Only 0.6% of total prescriptions were for injectables. All antimicrobials (100%) were prescribed by generic-names and from essential drug list. Antibiotics were most commonly prescribed for respiratory tract infections. Age, gender, season, and facility type were significant predictors of prescribed antibiotics to overall medications ratio. Conclusions: This is the first study of antibiotic prescribing patterns among outpatient pediatrics that covers wide regions in Jordan. Results indicate high rates of antibiotics use among outpatient pediatrics. Such findings necessitate more focused efforts and regulations that support rational utilization of drugs.


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