Using Prior Culture Results to Improve Initial Empiric Antibiotic Prescribing: An Evaluation of a Simple Clinical Heuristic

Author(s):  
Marion Elligsen ◽  
Ruxandra Pinto ◽  
Jerome A Leis ◽  
Sandra A N Walker ◽  
Derek R MacFadden ◽  
...  

Abstract Background A patient’s prior cultures can inform the subsequent risk of infection from resistant organisms, yet prescribers often fail to incorporate these results into their empiric antibiotic selection. Given that timely initiation of adequate antibiotics has been associated with improved outcomes, there is an urgent need to address this gap. Methods In order to better incorporate prior culture results in the selection of empiric antibiotics, we performed a pragmatic, prospective, hospital-wide intervention: (1) empiric antibiotic prescriptions were assessed for clinically significant discordance with the most recent methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) surveillance swab, previous cultures for extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs), and the most recent culture for a Gram-negative (GN) organism; and (2) if discordant, an antimicrobial stewardship pharmacist provided recommendations for alternative therapy. The impact was analyzed using a quasi-experimental design comparing two 9-month periods (pre- and postintervention) at a large academic, tertiary care institution. Results Clinically significant discordance was identified 99 times in the preintervention period and 86 times in the intervention period. The proportion of patients that received concordant therapy increased from 73% (72/99) in the control group to 88% (76/86) in the intervention group (P = .01). The median time to concordant therapy was shorter in the intervention group than the control group (25 vs 55 hrs, respectively; P < .001; adjusted hazard ratio = 1.95 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 1.37–2.77; P < .001]). The median duration of unnecessary vancomycin therapy was reduced by 1.1 days (95% CI, .5–1.6 days; P < .001). Conclusions This intervention improved prescribing, with a shorter time to concordant therapy and an increased proportion of patients receiving empiric therapy concordant with prior culture results. The use of unnecessary vancomycin was also reduced.

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lamis R. Karaoui ◽  
Elsy Ramia ◽  
Hanine Mansour ◽  
Nisrine Haddad ◽  
Nibal Chamoun

Abstract Background There is limited published data in Lebanon evaluating the impact of supplemental education for anticoagulants use, especially DOACs, on clinical outcomes such as bleeding. The study aims to assess the impact of pharmacist-conducted anticoagulation education and follow-up on bleeding and readmission rates. Methods This study was a randomized, non-blinded interventional study conducted between August 2017 and July 2019 in a tertiary care teaching Lebanese hospital. Participants were inpatients ≥18 years discharged on an oral anticoagulant for treatment. Block randomization was used. The control group received the standard nursing counseling while the intervention group additionally received pharmacy counseling. Phone call follow-ups were done on day 3 and 30 post-discharge. Primary outcomes included readmission rates and any bleeding event at day 3 and 30 post-discharge. Secondary outcomes included documented elements of education in the medical records and reported mortality upon day 30 post-discharge. Results Two hundred patients were recruited in the study (100 patients in each study arm) with a mean age of 73.9 years. In the pharmacist-counseled group, more patients contacted their physician within 3 days (14% versus 4%; p = 0.010), received explicit elements of education (p < 0.001) and documentation in the chart was better (p < 0.05). In the standard of care group, patients were more aware of their next physician appointment date (52% versus 31%, p < 0.001). No difference in bleeding rates at day 3 and 30 post-discharge was observed between the groups. Conclusions Although pharmacist-conducted anticoagulation education did not appear to reduce bleeding or readmission rates at day 30, pharmacist education significantly increased patient communication with their providers in the early days post-discharge. Trial registration Lebanon Clinical Trial Registry LBCTR2020033424. Retrospectively registered. Date of registration: 06/03/2020.


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. s411-s411
Author(s):  
Priscila Gonçalves ◽  
Fernando Gatti de Menezes ◽  
Ana Carolina Santiago ◽  
Laura Kataoka ◽  
Paula Fernanda Martineli ◽  
...  

Background: Improving adherence to hand hygiene (HH) of healthcare workers (HCWs) is a challenge for health institutions, and the use of technologies has been considered an important strategy within this process. Methods: To evaluate the impact of the use of alcohol-based hand rub gel (ABHR) dispensers with light sensors on the adherence to HH by HCWs. This is a prospective quasi-experimental study with comparative analysis between two 4-bed adult intensive care units at a private, tertiary-care hospital conducted over 22 weeks. An approach detection module with an LED lamp was attached to the ABHR dispenser. As a healthcare personnel approached it, the sensor was activated, and a red light turned on as a visual stimulus for HH. The color of the light changed to blue when HH was performed. All ABHR dispensers had electronic counters, but light sensors were installed only in the 4-bed dispensers of the intervention unit. Throughout the period, direct observation of adherence to HH was performed by 4 nurses who had previously been rated with an excellent coefficient of agreement (κ test = 0.951 and 0.902). At the end of the study, a perception survey was performed with the HCWs. Results: The median activation of ABHR dispensers per week was higher in the intervention unit with 1,004 (IQR, 706–1,455) versus 432 (IQR, 350–587) in the control group (P < .001). The same occurred when compared to the median activation per 1,000 patient days, with 53,069 (IQR, 47,575–67,275) versus 19,602 (IQR, 15,909–24,500) in the control group (P < .001). However, there was no evidence of difference in adherence to HH during direct observation between the 2 groups: 51.0% HH compliance (359 of 704) in the control group and 53.8% HH compliance (292 of 543) in the intervention group (P = .330). The same result emerged when we evaluated the “My Five Moments for HH” and by professional category. HCWs (N=66) answered the perception survey: 66.6% stated that lighting devices caught their attention regularly or most of the time and 59% agreed that the devices motivated HH. Conclusions: Using light sensors in ABHR dispensers can be an effective technology for improving HH. This finding was evident in the evaluation of the number of uses of the ABHR dispensers and in the HCW perceptions. Although direct observation did not show statistical evidence of difference between the groups, adherence was higher in the intervention group.Funding: NoneDisclosures: None


2010 ◽  
Vol 24 (9) ◽  
pp. 543-546 ◽  
Author(s):  
Greg Rosenfeld ◽  
Darin Krygier ◽  
Robert A Enns ◽  
Janakie Singham ◽  
Holly Wiesinger ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND: For patients requiring colonoscopy while admitted to hospital, achieving adequate cleansing of the colon is often difficult.OBJECTIVES: To assess the impact of patient education, in the form of both counselling and written instructions, on bowel cleanliness at colonoscopy.METHODS: A total of 38 inpatients at a tertiary care hospital in Vancouver, British Columbia, who were referred to the gastroenterology service for colonoscopy were enrolled in the present study. Sixteen patients were randomly assigned to the intervention group, while 22 patients comprised the control group. Both groups received a clear liquid diet and 4 L of a commercially available bowel preparation. The intervention group also received a brief counselling session and written instructions outlining the methods and rationale for bowel preparation before colonoscopy. Bowel cleanliness was assessed by the endoscopist using a five-point rating scale.RESULTS: The two groups were similar with respect to demographics, the indication for colonoscopy and findings at colonoscopy. The median bowel cleanliness scores in the control group and the enhanced-instruction group were 3.0 and 2.0, respectively (P=0.001).CONCLUSION: Patient counselling and written instructions are inexpensive, safe and simple interventions. Such interventions are an effective means of optimizing colonoscopy preparation in the inpatient setting.


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. s390-s391
Author(s):  
Icaro Boszczowski ◽  
William Kazumassa Minami ◽  
Marcia Baraldi ◽  
Ana Paula Marchi ◽  
nia Alves dos Santos ◽  
...  

Background: Although guidelines recommend the use of chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) for hand hygiene (HH), the impact of its routine use on antimicrobial resistance is not clear. Objective: To analyze the impact on the CHG susceptibility among isolates obtained from hands of HCW during its routine use for HH. Methods: We conducted a crossover study at 4 medical-surgical wards of a tertiary-care hospital in São Paulo, Brazil. In 2 units (intervention group), we established routine use of CHG for HH. For the other 2 units (control group), regular soap was provided. The availability of alcohol formulation for HH was not changed during the study. Every 4 months we swapped the units, ie, those using CHG changed for regular soap and vice versa. At baseline, we cultured the hands of HCWs. Only nursing staff hands were investigated. For hand culturing, HCWs placed their hands inside a sterile bag containing a solution of phosphate-buffered saline, Tween 80, and sodium thiosulfate. After the solution incubated overnight, it was inoculated onto brain-heart infusion. Next, it was plated on McConkey and Mannitol agar. MALDI-TOF was used for identification. Agar dilution was performed for Staphylococcus spp. We selected all Staphylococcus spp with MIC ≥ 8 and performed inhibition of efflux pump test. For isolates that showed a decrease of 2 dilutions, we searched the gene qacA/B by polymerase chain reaction. Results: We obtained 262 samples from HCW hands yielding 428 isolates. The most frequent genera were Staphylococcus spp (58%), Acinetobacter spp (8%), Enterobacter spp (8%), Stenotrophomonas spp (5%), Klebsiella spp (4%), Pseudomonas spp (3%), and others (14%). Staphylococcus spp were less frequent in the intervention compared to control group (43% vs 61%; OR, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.29–0.69; P = .005). Among all Staphylococcus spp, the proportion of chlorhexidine resistance (RCHG; MIC ≥ 8) was 12%. All resistant isolates recovered susceptibility after inoculation with pump-efflux inhibitor. For pump-inhibited isolates, 53% had the gene qacA/B amplified by PCR. We did not investigate RCHG among gram-negative isolates. There was a nonsignificant increase in Staphylococcus spp RCHG in the intervention group (4% to 6%; P = .90). Healthcare-acquired infection rates did not change significantly during the intervention. The consumption of CHG increased from 7.3 to 13.9 mL per patient day. Conclusions: We did not detect a significant difference in RCHG during the routine use of CHG for HH, although we observed increasing resistance. Further investigation is needed to clarify other reasons for increasing MIC to CHG.Funding: NoneDisclosures: None


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Natasha N. Pettit ◽  
Cynthia T. Nguyen ◽  
Alison K. Lew ◽  
Palak H. Bhagat ◽  
Allison Nelson ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Empiric antibiotics for community acquired bacterial pneumonia (CABP) are often prescribed to patients with COVID-19, despite a low reported incidence of co-infections. Stewardship interventions targeted at facilitating appropriate antibiotic prescribing for CABP among COVID-19 patients are needed. We developed a guideline for antibiotic initiation and discontinuation for CABP in COVID-19 patients. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of this intervention on the duration of empiric CABP antibiotic therapy among patients with COVID-19. Methods This was a single-center, retrospective, quasi-experimental study of adult patients admitted between 3/1/2020 to 4/25/2020 with COVID-19 pneumonia, who were initiated on empiric CABP antibiotics. Patients were excluded if they were initiated on antibiotics > 48 h following admission or if another source of infection was identified. The primary outcome was the duration of antibiotic therapy (DOT) prior to the guideline (March 1 to March27, 2020) and after guideline implementation (March 28 to April 25, 2020). We also evaluated the clinical outcomes (mortality, readmissions, length of stay) among those initiated on empiric CABP antibiotics. Results A total of 506 patients with COVID-19 were evaluated, 102 pre-intervention and 404 post-intervention. Prior to the intervention, 74.5% (n = 76) of patients with COVID-19 received empiric antibiotics compared to only 42% of patients post-intervention (n = 170), p < 0.001. The median DOT in the post-intervention group was 1.3 days shorter (p < 0.001) than the pre-intervention group, and antibiotics directed at atypical bacteria DOT was reduced by 2.8 days (p < 0.001). More patients in the post-intervention group were initiated on antibiotics based on criteria consistent with our guideline (68% versus 87%, p = 0.001). There were no differences between groups in terms of clinical outcomes. Conclusion Following the implementation of a guideline outlining recommendations for initiating and discontinuing antibiotics for CABP among COVID-19 inpatients, we observed a reduction in antibiotic prescribing and DOT. The guideline also resulted in a significant increase in the rate of guideline-congruent empiric antibiotic initiation.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natasha N. Pettit ◽  
Cynthia T. Nguyen ◽  
Alison Lew ◽  
Palak Bhagat ◽  
Allison Nelson ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Empiric antibiotics for community acquired bacterial pneumonia (CABP) are often prescribed to patients with COVID-19, despite a low reported incidence of co-infections. Stewardship interventions targeted at facilitating appropriate antibiotic prescribing for CABP among COVID-19 patients are needed. We developed a guideline for antibiotic initiation and discontinuation for CABP in COVID-19 patients. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of this intervention on the duration of empiric CABP antibiotic therapy among patients with COVID-19. Methods: This was a single-center, retrospective, quasi-experimental study of adult patients admitted between 3/1/2020 to 4/25/2020 with COVID-19 pneumonia, who were initiated on empiric CABP antibiotics. Patients were excluded if they were initiated on antibiotics >48hours following admission or if another infection was identified. The primary outcome was the duration of antibiotic therapy (DOT) prior to the guideline (March 1 to March27, 2020) and after guideline implementation (March 28 to April 25, 2020). We also evaluated the clinical outcomes (mortality, readmissions, length of stay) among those initiated on empiric CABP antibiotics. Results: A total of 506 patients with COVID-19 were evaluated, 102 pre-intervention and 404 post-intervention. Prior to the intervention, 74.5% (n=76) of patients with COVID-19 received empiric antibiotics compared to only 42% of patients post-intervention (n=170), p<0.001. The median DOT in the post-intervention group was 1.3 days shorter (p<0.001) than the pre-intervention group, and atypical antibiotic DOT was reduced by 2.8 days (p<0.001). More patients in the post-intervention group were initiated on antibiotics based on criteria consistent with our guideline (68% versus 87%, p=0.001). There were no differences between groups in terms of clinical outcomes. Conclusion: Following the implementation of a guideline outlining recommendations for initiating and discontinuing antibiotics for CABP among COVID-19 inpatients, we observed a reduction in antibiotic prescribing and DOT. The guideline also resulted in a significant increase in the rate of guideline-congruent empiric antibiotic initiation.


Author(s):  
Mahmoud Joumaa Al Hariri ◽  
Ivanna V. Koshel ◽  
Vasil I. Popovich

Topicality: The rate of acute bacterial rhinosinusitisis 0,5-2% of all cases of acute rhinosinusitis, however, up to 60 % of patients receive the course of antibiotics since the first day of disease. It is well known that earlier use of antibiotics has almost no effect on the development of bacterial ARS and its complications. The purpose of study was to examine the bacterial spectrum of post-viral RS and evaluate clinical and bac-teriological efficiency of polyvalent bacteriophage in technique of delayed prescribing of antibiotics in comparison with the patients receiving standard APVRS therapy. Material and methods: 155 adult patients with acute post-viral RS participated in the trial who were given either standard therapy or polyvalent bacteriophage in addition to the standard therapy. In conjunction with the treatment, the microbiological composition of nasal microflora was examined and its comparison with clinical dynamics was undertaken. Evaluation criteria: decrease in intensity of disease symptoms evaluated in accordance with MSS scale system during each visit in comparison with the 1st visit, antibiotic prescribing frequency, dynamics of microbiological changes. Outcomes and discussion: The use of polyvalent bacteriophagein addition to the standard therapy of acute post-viral rhinosinusitis as a part of technique of delayed prescribing of antibioticsensures clinically significant decrease in the intensity of rhinorrhea symptoms, nasal congestion and post-nasal drip on the third day of supervision (p<0.05). It reduces the prescription of antibacterial medicines by 20%without negative impact on overall treatment results. Decrease in the number of prescription of antibacterial therapy correlates with the fair reduction in bacterial loadwith Staphylococcus aureus and typical representative of ABRS – S. pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenza and M. catarrhalis. Therefore, the intervention group in comparison with the control group has had “therapeutic advantage” during the first days of treatment which allowed to assess the course of disease as a “positive” and avoid in appropriate use of antibiotics. There have been documented no patients with adverse effects during the course of treatment. Conclusion: polyvalent bacteriophage is a safe and effective medication for additional treatment of acute post-viral rhinosinusitis intended to reduce the use of antibiotics. The inclusion of the medication into the treatment regimen could be recommended to the patients as a part of technique of delayed prescribing of antibiotics.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natasha N. Pettit ◽  
Cynthia T. Nguyen ◽  
Alison Lew ◽  
Palak B. Bhagat ◽  
Allison Nelson ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Empiric antibiotics for community acquired bacterial pneumonia (CABP) are often prescribed to patients with COVID-19, despite a low reported incidence of co-infections. Stewardship interventions targeted at facilitating appropriate antibiotic prescribing for CABP among COVID-19 patients are needed. We developed a guideline for antibiotic initiation and discontinuation for CABP in COVID-19 patients. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of this intervention on the duration of empiric CABP antibiotic therapy among patients with COVID-19.Methods: This was a single-center, retrospective, quasi-experimental study of adult patients admitted between 3/1/2020 to 4/25/2020 with COVID-19 pneumonia, who were initiated on empiric CABP antibiotics. Patients were excluded if they were initiated on antibiotics >48hours following admission or if another infection was identified. The primary outcome was the duration of antibiotic therapy (DOT) prior to the guideline (March 1 to March27, 2020) and after guideline implementation (March 28 to April 25, 2020). We also evaluated the clinical outcomes (mortality, readmissions, length of stay) among those initiated on empiric CABP antibiotics.Results: A total of 506 patients with COVID-19 were evaluated, 102 pre-intervention and 404 post-intervention. Prior to the intervention, 74.5% (n=76) of patients with COVID-19 received empiric antibiotics compared to only 42% of patients post-intervention (n=170), p<0.001. The median DOT in the post-intervention group was 1.3 days shorter (p<0.001) than the pre-intervention group, and atypical antibiotic DOT was reduced by 2.8 days (p<0.001). More patients in the post-intervention group were initiated on antibiotics based on criteria consistent with our guideline (68% versus 87%, p=0.001). There were no differences between groups in terms of clinical outcomes.Conclusion: Following the implementation of a guideline outlining recommendations for initiating and discontinuing antibiotics for CABP among COVID-19 inpatients, we observed a reduction in antibiotic prescribing and DOT. The guideline also resulted in a significant increase in the rate of guideline-congruent empiric antibiotic initiation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S116-S116
Author(s):  
Amber M Watts ◽  
Shannon Holt

Abstract Background Antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASP) traditionally focus on inpatient care; however there is a growing effort to optimize antibiotic prescribing at transitions of care. Longer than necessary discharge prescriptions increase risk of antimicrobial resistance, C. difficile infection and adverse events. In order to minimize unnecessary antibiotic exposure, the health system updated the electronic medical record (EMR) outpatient antibiotic prescription default from 10 days to 5 days. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of a 10-day versus 5-day EMR antibiotic outpatient prescriptions default on length of therapy for patients discharged from the Emergency Department (ED). Methods This is a retrospective, single-system cohort study evaluating ED discharge prescriptions before and after transition from a default duration of 10 days to 5 days. Discharge prescriptions were collected and screened from December 2019 through January 2020 in the control group and March 2020 through April 2020 in the intervention group. Outpatient prescriptions were included for primary diagnoses of urinary tract infection (UTI), community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI), diverticulitis, or dental infections. The primary outcome was the incidence of prescriptions written for a &lt; 5 day duration. Results The study included 3060 of 9651 (32%) prescriptions in the control group and 1610 of 4938 (33%) prescriptions in the intervention group. The mean age was 38 years old with 61% female. The most common primary diagnoses were SSTI (n=1633, 35%) and UTI (n=1633, 32%). The mean duration for discharge prescriptions was similar between groups (8.44 vs. 8.30 days). The incidence of outpatient antibiotic prescriptions for &lt; 5 days was not significantly different between groups (10.72% vs 10.56%, p=0.996). There was an improvement in duration of therapy, with more prescriptions &lt; 5 days for SSTI (2.96% vs. 7.64%, p=0.860) and dental infections (3.30% vs. 10.86%, p=0.808). Conclusion Implementation of a shorter default duration for antibiotic outpatient prescriptions from the ED did not significantly increase the incidence of prescriptions written for &lt; 5 days. There was an improvement in duration for SSTI and dental infections after implementation. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures


Author(s):  
Marion Elligsen ◽  
Ruxandra Pinto ◽  
Jerome A Leis ◽  
Sandra A N Walker ◽  
Nick Daneman ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Timely selection of adequate empiric antibiotics has become increasingly difficult due to rising resistance rates and the competing desire to apply antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) principles. Individualized clinical prediction models offer the promise of reducing broad-spectrum antibiotic use and preserving/improving adequacy of treatment, but few have been validated in the clinical setting. Methods Multivariable models were used to predict the probability of susceptibility for gram-negative (GN) bacteria in bloodstream infections (bacteremia) to ceftriaxone, ciprofloxacin, ceftazidime, piperacillin-tazobactam, and meropenem. The models were combined with existing resistance-prediction methods to generate optimized and individualized suggestions for empiric therapy that were provided to prescribers by an AMS pharmacist. De-escalation of empiric antibiotics and adequacy of therapy were analyzed using a quasi-experimental design comparing two 9-month periods (pre- and postintervention) at a large academic tertiary care institution. Results Episodes of bacteremia (n = 182) were identified in the preintervention and postintervention (n = 201) periods. Patients who received the intervention were more likely to have their therapy de-escalated (29 vs 21%; aOR = 1.77; 95% CI, 1.09–2.87; P = .02). The intervention also increased the proportion of patients who were on the narrowest adequate therapy at the time of culture finalization (44% in the control and 55% in the intervention group; aOR = 2.04; 95% CI, 1.27–3.27; P = .003). Time to adequate therapy was similar in the intervention and control groups (5 vs 4 hours; P = .95). Conclusions An AMS intervention, based on individualized predictive models for resistance, can influence empiric antibiotic selections for GN bacteremia to facilitate early de-escalation of therapy without compromising adequacy of antibiotic coverage.


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