scholarly journals 53. Optimizing Transitions of Care Antimicrobial Prescribing at a Community Teaching Hospital

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S146-S146
Author(s):  
Kushal Naik ◽  
Jeremy J Frens ◽  
Jordan R Smith

Abstract Background Antimicrobial stewardship integral to patient care. Institutions with stewardship decrease antibiotic use, cost, and antibiotic-associated infections. However, few efforts have been formally made to address discharge antimicrobial prescribing, even though many patients started on antibiotic therapy in the hospital are prescribed oral antibiotics to complete their regimens. Methods This was an IRB approved, quasi-experimental, pre-post study. Patients were included if they were >18 years and were discharged from the hospital with an oral antibiotic prescription. Patients discharged against medical advice, prescribed indefinite prophylactic antimicrobial therapy for legitimate reasons, or discharged to a skilled nursing facility were excluded. The retrospective group evaluated a random sample of patients discharged in 2/2020. The prospective group included patients discharged between 1/2021 – 6/2021. In the prospective group, a clinical pharmacist assessed the indication for antibiotics and pended discharge antibiotic prescriptions for physician review. Antibiotic choice and duration of therapy were based on local and national guidelines. Patient Screening for Inclusion and Exclusion Breakdown of patients screened, included, and excluded for study Results 86 (53.1%) of 162 retrospective patients from 2/2020 prior to implementation of the program demonstrated were discharged on inappropriate antimicrobial therapy with excessive duration being the principal driver for inappropriateness. In the prospective group of 64 patients, the rate of patients discharged on inappropriate antibiotics decreased to 28.1% (p=0.001). The duration of inappropriate therapy decreased from a mean of 4.6 days to 2.7 days (p=0.001). 45 (70.3%) of 64 prospective pharmacist’s interventions were accepted by providers. Study Outcomes Outcomes including overall appropriate prescribing, appropriate duration, spectrum, frequency, and dose, as well as days of inappropriate therapy Conclusion Literature demonstrates that prospective evaluation of discharge antibiotics by a clinical pharmacist is effective in improving appropriateness of discharge antibiotic prescriptions, optimizing duration of outpatient antibiotics as well as reducing unnecessarily broad-spectrum therapy. The prospective results from this study demonstrate that this innovative approach can improve outpatient oral antibiotic prescribing and provide a framework for other institutions to implement similar programs. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S178-S178
Author(s):  
Kayla Hiryak ◽  
Geena Kludjian ◽  
Jason C Gallagher ◽  
Jason C Gallagher ◽  
Marissa Cavaretta

Abstract Background The impact of antimicrobial stewardship programs has been well observed in institutional settings; however, patients complete over one-third of their antibiotic course after discharge. This creates a gap in stewardship efforts at transitions of care. We studied whether pharmacist review of antibiotic prescriptions at discharge would improve outpatient antibiotic prescribing. Methods This was a pilot project of patients in medicine wards of an academic medical center who were discharged on oral antibiotics between February and May 2021. Patients who were pregnant, <18 YO, had COVID-19, or leaving against medical advice were excluded from evaluation. For the pilot, a verification queue was created in the electronic health record (EHR) system where orders for discharge antibiotics were reviewed by investigator pharmacists before prescriptions were electronically sent to outpatient pharmacies. During the pilot, prescriptions were reviewed Monday-Friday afternoons from 12pm-4pm. Data was collected on incidence, type, and acceptance rate of pharmacist interventions, and a cost savings analysis was conducted with values calculated by the EHR system. Results There were 149 patients included with oral antibiotic prescriptions reviewed during the time frame. Of those patients, 48 (32.2%) had at least one prescription that was intervened on by a pharmacist. A total of 55 interventions were made with an acceptance rate of 76%. The median time for pharmacist review was 10 minutes (IQR 5-15). Patients who received infectious diseases (ID) consultation during admission required less intervention than patients without expert consultation but did not reach significance (8/35 and 47/114 respectively, p=0.07). The total cost savings associated with all interventions was &20,743.00. Table 1. Interventions Conclusion Direct pharmacist review and intervention at discharge improved the prescribing of oral antibiotics within our institution during this pilot. Considering that this was conducted part-time in a subset of hospitalized patients during a limited time period, significant cost savings are possible with greater implementation. Disclosures Jason C. Gallagher, PharmD, FIDP, FCCP, FIDSA, BCPS, Astellas (Consultant, Speaker’s Bureau)Merck (Consultant, Grant/Research Support, Speaker’s Bureau)Qpex (Consultant)scPharmaceuticals (Consultant)Shionogi (Consultant) Jason C. Gallagher, PharmD, FIDP, FCCP, FIDSA, BCPS, Astellas (Individual(s) Involved: Self): Speakers’ bureau; Merck (Individual(s) Involved: Self): Consultant, Grant/Research Support; Nabriva: Consultant; Qpex (Individual(s) Involved: Self): Consultant; Shionogi (Individual(s) Involved: Self): Consultant Marissa Cavaretta, PharmD, Merck (Grant/Research Support)


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S82-S83
Author(s):  
Laura M King ◽  
Lauri Hicks ◽  
Sarah Kabbani; Sharon Tsay ◽  
Katherine E Fleming-Dutra

Abstract Background The objective of our study was to describe oral antibiotic prescriptions associated with procedures in ambulatory surgery centers (ASC) to evaluate if there are major national opportunities to improve antibiotic use in this setting. Methods We identified surgical procedures in ASCs and oral antibiotic prescriptions in the IBM® MarketScan® Commercial 2018 database, a large convenience sample of privately-insured individuals aged < 65 years. We excluded visits with same-day hospitalizations and those with infectious diagnoses that may warrant antibiotic treatment. We included only antibiotic prescriptions dispensed on the same day as an ASC visit. We calculated the number of visits and oral antibiotic prescriptions and the percent of visits with oral antibiotic prescriptions overall, and by patient age group (< 18 and 18–64 years), antibiotic class, and procedure type. We also calculated median antibiotic course length. Across-group comparisons were evaluated using chi-square tests. Results In 2018, 918,127 ASC visits with surgical procedure codes were captured, of which 37,032 (4.0%) were associated with same-day oral antibiotic prescriptions. The percent of visits with antibiotic prescriptions was significantly higher among children compared to adults (9.4% vs 3.8%; p< 0.01); however, adults accounted for 89% of prescriptions. Respiratory/nasal and urinary tract system procedures were most frequently associated with antibiotic prescriptions (Figure). Median course length was 5 (interquartile range 3–7) days. The most common antibiotic class was cephalosporins (49.6% of prescriptions), followed by penicillins (12.6%) and fluoroquinolones (10.9%). Figure. Percent of ambulatory surgery center visits with same-day antibiotic prescriptions by procedure category, IBM® MarketScan® Commercial Database, 2018 Conclusion Only 4% of ASC procedures were associated with same-day oral antibiotic prescriptions, suggesting antibiotics are not commonly prescribed in ASCs on the day of surgical procedures. Additionally, the observed 5-day median duration may suggest that some of these courses are intended for treatment rather than prophylaxis. Our estimates represent lower bounds for oral antibiotic prescriptions in this setting, as we only captured same-day prescriptions. However, our findings suggest that ASC facilities may not be high-impact targets for national, public health antibiotic stewardship efforts. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures


2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. S405-S405
Author(s):  
Sarah Primhak ◽  
Natasha Pool ◽  
Gayl Humphrey ◽  
Lesley Voss ◽  
Rachel H Webb ◽  
...  

Abstract Background When considering antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) interventions, pediatrics is an important and often overlooked group. By 5 years of age, 97% of New Zealand (NZ) children have received antibiotics (median 8 antibiotic courses/child). Prescribing is complex due to age and weight-based adjustments, unpalatable oral preparations and inappropriate allergy labeling. Our tertiary Children’s Hospital has >250 web-based nationally utilized guidelines, 15% including antimicrobials. A point prevalence audit showed only 63% guideline adherence for inpatient antimicrobial prescriptions. We designed an accessible app to bring antibiotic prescribing and antibiotic allergy decision-making to prescribers at point of care. Methods Using local hospital and community guidelines, the national formulary and in consultation with subspecialist teams, 31 algorithms were developed. Each algorithm asked questions including diagnosis, age, antibiotic allergy history and known colonization with-resistant organisms. Results The smartphone app (Script) uses the algorithms to advise on appropriate antimicrobial, dose, route and duration of treatment. Advice regarding IV-oral switch parameters and oral antibiotic choice is provided. If allergy is suspected symptom-based decision-making enables the user to choose an alternative agent or encourages allergy de-labeling. Further AMS occurs in some algorithms when advice is given not to prescribe antimicrobials. Conclusion Script for Pediatrics launched in NZ in March 2019 with >1000 users in the first 6 weeks. The most frequently accessed guidelines are otitis media, pneumonia and meningitis. Smartphone applications with local relevance and the ability to update in real-time may prove important tools, by providing easily accessible and intuitive advice to help support antimicrobial stewardship activities. This intervention has been rapidly adopted by pediatric hospital prescribers. The impact on prescribing in concordance with guidelines, timely intravenous to oral antibiotic switch and allergy de-labeling will be assessed. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. s292-s293
Author(s):  
Alexandria May ◽  
Allison Hester ◽  
Kristi Quairoli ◽  
Sheetal Kandiah

Background: According to the CDC Core Elements of Outpatient Stewardship, the first step in optimizing outpatient antibiotic use the identification of high-priority conditions in which antibiotics are commonly used inappropriately. Azithromycin is a broad-spectrum antimicrobial commonly used inappropriately in clinical practice for nonspecific upper respiratory infections (URIs). In 2017, a medication use evaluation at Grady Health System (GHS) revealed that 81.4% of outpatient azithromycin prescriptions were inappropriate. In an attempt to optimize outpatient azithromycin prescribing at GHS, a tool was designed to direct the prescriber toward evidence-based therapy; it was implemented in the electronic medical record (EMR) in January 2019. Objective: We evaluated the effect of this tool on the rate of inappropriate azithromycin prescribing, with the goal of identifying where interventions to improve prescribing are most needed and to measure progress. Methods: This retrospective chart review of adult patients prescribed oral azithromycin was conducted in 9 primary care clinics at GHS between February 1, 2019, and April 30, 2019, to compare data with that already collected over a 6-month period in 2017 before implementation of the antibiotic prescribing guidance tool. The primary outcome of this study was the change in the rate of inappropriate azithromycin prescribing before and after guidance tool implementation. Appropriateness was based on GHS internal guidelines and national guidelines. Inappropriate prescriptions were classified as inappropriate indication, unnecessary prescription, excessive or insufficient treatment duration, and/or incorrect drug. Results: Of the 560 azithromycin prescriptions identified during the study period, 263 prescriptions were included in the analysis. Overall, 181 (68.8%) of azithromycin prescriptions were considered inappropriate, representing a 12.4% reduction in the primary composite outcome of inappropriate azithromycin prescriptions. Bronchitis and unspecified upper respiratory tract infections (URI) were the most common indications where azithromycin was considered inappropriate. Attending physicians prescribed more inappropriate azithromycin prescriptions (78.1%) than resident physicians (37.0%) or midlevel providers (37.0%). Also, 76% of azithromycin prescriptions from nonacademic clinics were considered inappropriate, compared with 46% from academic clinics. Conclusions: Implementation of a provider guidance tool in the EMR lead to a reduction in the percentage of inappropriate outpatient azithromycin prescriptions. Future targeted interventions and stewardship initiatives are needed to achieve the stewardship program’s goal of reducing inappropriate outpatient azithromycin prescriptions by 20% by 1 year after implementation.Funding: NoneDisclosures: None


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S111-S111
Author(s):  
Swetha Ramanathan ◽  
Connie H Yan ◽  
Colin Hubbard ◽  
Gregory Calip ◽  
Lisa K Sharp ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Data suggest dental antibiotic prescribing is increasing with relatively less documented about prescribing trends in adults and children. Therefore, the aim was to evaluate trends in antibiotic prescribing by US dentists from 2012–2017. Methods This was a cross-sectional study of US dental prescribing using IQVIA Longitudinal Prescription Data from 2012 to 2017. Prescribing rates (prescriptions [Rx] per 100,000 dentists), mean days’ supply, and mean quantity dispensed were calculated monthly across eight oral antibiotic groups: amoxicillin, clindamycin, cephalexin, azithromycin, penicillin, doxycycline, fluoroquinolone, and other antibiotics. Descriptive frequencies and multiple linear regressions were performed to obtain trends overall and stratified by adults (≥ 18) and children (< 18). Results 220, 325 dentists prescribed 135 million Rx (94.0% in adults). 61.0% were amoxicillin, 14.4% clindamycin, 11.7% penicillin, 4.4% azithromycin, 4.3% cephalexin, 2.0% other antibiotics, 1.4% doxycycline, and 0.7% fluoroquinolones. Prescribing increased by 33 Rx/100,000 dentists (p< 0.0001) each month for all antibiotics. Amoxicillin (p< 0.0001) and clindamycin (p=0.02) prescribing rate increased by 73 and 5 Rx/100,000 dentists, respectively. Prescribing decreased by 8, 12, and 2 Rx/100,000 dentists for cephalexin (p< 0.0001), doxycycline (p< 0.0001), and fluoroquinolones (p=0.008), respectively. Mean days’ supply increased for amoxicillin, penicillin, and clindamycin (p< 0.0001), and decreased for cephalexin (p< 0.0001).Mean quantity dispensed decreased (p< 0.0001) for all groups except azithromycin and doxycycline. Among adults, cephalexin prescribing rates (7 Rx/100,000 dentist; p< 0.0001) and other antibiotics days’ supply (p< 0.0001) decreased. Among children, azithromycin prescribing rates (1 Rx/100,000 dentists, p=0.02), and fluoroquinolone and other antibiotics days’ supply (p< 0.0001) decreased. Conclusion These findings support dental antibiotic prescribing is increasing, specifically for amoxicillin and clindamycin. Further, trends differed between adults and children. Understanding what is driving these trends is important to target dental antibiotic stewardship efforts. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures


1980 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-18

Dr. Rothman of Haverhill, MA questioned the short duration of antimicrobial treatment and use of oral route for the patient with osteomyelitis presented by Bennett in PIR 1:153, November 1979. He noted that the traditional regimen for osteomyelitis calls for six weeks of intravenous antimicrobial therapy. Dr. Bennett quotes from Telzlaff et al (J Pediatr 92:485, 1978). In this report good results were found when antimicrobial regimens for patients with osteomyelitis and suppurative arthritis consisted of a brief initial period of parenteral therapy of only one to seven days followed by oral antimicrobial therapy begun when there was a definitive decrease in clinical signs of inflammation and continued for three weeks or longer. It is important to note that surgical drainage of pus was carried out, that antimicrobial blood levels were obtained after initiation of oral therapy to ensure adequate levels, that therapy was continued until all signs and symptoms had subsided, that there was no evidence of cortical destruction or sequestrum formation on roentgenogram, and the erythrocyte sedimentation rate was less than 20 mg/hr. When these conditions are met it is clear that oral therapy can be an adequate substitute for prolonged intravenous therapy for osteomyelitis in children.


2018 ◽  
Vol 103 (2) ◽  
pp. e2.43-e2
Author(s):  
Michelle Kirrane ◽  
Rob Cunney ◽  
Roisin McNamara ◽  
Ike Okafor

Appropriate choice of empiric antibiotic therapy, in line with local guidelines, improves outcome for children with infection, while reducing adverse drug effects, cost, and selection of antimicrobial resistance. Data from national point prevalence surveys showed compliance with local prescribing guidelines at our hospital was suboptimal. A team with representatives from the pharmacy, microbiology and emergency departments collaborated with prescribers to improve the quality of empiric antibiotic prescribing. The project aim was, using the ‘Model for Improvement’, to ensure ≥90% of children admitted via the Emergency Department (ED) and commenced on antibiotic therapy, have a documented indication and a choice of therapy in line with local antimicrobial guidelines.MethodResults of weekly audits of the first ten children admitted via ED and started on antibiotics were fed back to prescribers. Front line ownership techniques were used to develop ideas for change, including; regular antibiotic prescribing discussion at Monday morning handover meeting, antibiotic ‘spot quiz’ for prescribers, updates to prescribing guidelines (along with improved access and promotion of prescribing app), printed ID badge guideline summary cards, reminders and guideline summaries at point of prescribing in ED.Collection of audit data initially proved challenging, but was resolved through a series of rapid PDSA cycles. Initial support from ED consultants and other ED staff facilitated establishment of the project. Presentation of weekly run charts to prescribers fostered considerable support among consultants and non-consultant doctors (NCHDs). We saw a shift in perspective from ‘how is your project going?’ to ‘How are we doing?’.ResultsDocumentation of indication and guideline compliance increased from a median of 30% in December 2014/January 2015 to 100% consistently from February 2015 to the present. It is felt that a change in approach to antimicrobial prescribing is now embedded in our hospital culture as this improvement has remained constant through three NCHD changeovers. A comparison of 2014 Antimicrobial expenditure to 2015 figures shows a reduction in expenditure of €101,078.44.ConclusionThis project has inspired other departments to develop local QIPs and has encouraged the surgical teams to lead their own audits in antimicrobial stewardship. An improvement in other areas of antimicrobial prescribing has also been noted e.g. documentation of review date.The initiative has been shared with other hospitals throughout Ireland via presentations at the National Patient Safety Conference, Antimicrobial Awareness day and the Irish Antimicrobial Pharmacist’s Group meeting. It has also been shared at both European and international conferences. The project was a shortlisted finalist for a national healthcare excellence award and has been rolled out as part of a national quality improvement collaborative.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maja Kjaer Rasmussen ◽  
Lene Vestergaard Ravn-Nielsen ◽  
Marie-Louise Duckert ◽  
Mia Lolk Lund ◽  
Jolene Pilegaard Henriksen ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. S700-S700
Author(s):  
Kristen Johnson ◽  
Kayla Burns ◽  
Lisa Dumkow ◽  
Megan Yee ◽  
Nnaemeka Egwuatu

Abstract Background The majority of antibiotics prescribed in the outpatient setting result from upper respiratory tract infections; however, these infections are often viral. Virtual visits (VV) have emerged as a popular alternative to office visits (OV) for sinusitis complaints and are an important area for stewardship programs to target for intervention. Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted utilizing the outpatient electronic medical record for Mercy Health Physician Partners (MHPP) and Zipnosis database for VV to compare diagnosis and prescribing between OV and VV for sinusitis. VV consisted of an online questionnaire for patients to complete, which was then sent to a provider to evaluate electronically without face-to-face interaction. Adult patients were included with a diagnosis code for sinusitis during the 6-month study period from January to June 2018. The primary objective was to compare rates of appropriate diagnosis of viral vs. bacterial sinusitis between OV and VV, based on national guideline recommendations. Secondary objectives were to compare the appropriateness of antibiotic prescribing and supportive therapy prescribing between OV and VV, as well as 24-hour, 7-day and 30-day re-visits. Results A total of 350 patients were included in the study (OV n = 175, VV n = 175). Appropriate diagnosis per national guidelines was 45.7% in OV compared with 69.1% in the VV group (P < 0.001). Additionally, patients that completed VV were less likely to receive antibiotic prescriptions (OV 94.3%, VV 68.6%, P < 0.001). Guideline-concordant antibiotic prescribing was similar between groups (OV 60.6%, VV 58.3%, P = 0.70) and both visit types had a median duration of treatment of 10 days (P = 0.88). Patients that completed VV were more likely to re-visit for sinusitis within 24 hours (OV 1.7%, VV 8%, P = 0.006) and within 30-days (OV 7.4%, VV 14.9%, P = 0.027). In multivariate logistic regression the only factor independently associated with 24-hour re-visit was patient self-request for antibiotics (OR 0.20, 95% CI 0.06–0.68). Conclusion Appropriate diagnosis of sinusitis was more likely in the VV group, which shows that VV provides a good platform to target outpatient antimicrobial prescribing. These findings support opportunities for antimicrobial stewardship intervention in both OV and VV. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.


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