scholarly journals Assessing feasibility of establishing antimicrobial stewardship programmes in two provincial-level hospitals in Vietnam: an implementation research study

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. e053343
Author(s):  
Vu Thi Lan Huong ◽  
Ta Thi Dieu Ngan ◽  
Huynh Phuong Thao ◽  
Le Minh Quang ◽  
Tran Thi Thu Hanh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antimicrobial Stewardship ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Implementation Research ◽  
Swot Analysis ◽  
Core Competencies ◽  
National Level ◽  
Baseline Data ◽  
Provincial Level ◽  
Data Feedback ◽  
Days Of Therapy

ObjectivesTo investigate the feasibility of establishing hospital-based antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programmes comprising action-planning, educational interventions and data feedback in two provincial-level hospitals in Viet Nam.Design and settingThis was an implementation research using participatory action process and existing resources from the Duke Antimicrobial Stewardship Outreach Network with local adjustments. A national stakeholder meeting and Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats (SWOT) analysis were conducted to identify gaps and potential interventions.ParticipantsHospital AMS staff implemented activities throughout the study phases. Routinely collected patient data were analysed to support planning, implementation and evaluation.InterventionsHospitals were considered as a complex adaptive system and leveraged their unique characteristics and interconnections to develop 1-year plans containing core interventions (data use, educational training, prospective audit with feedback (PAF) and evaluations).Outcome measuresWe assessed feasibility using outputs from stakeholder meeting, SWOT analysis, baseline data, planning process and implementation.ResultsThe stakeholder meeting identified three gaps for AMS at national level: supportive policies, AMS training and core competencies and collaboration. At the hospitals, AMS programmes took 1 year for planning due to lack of hospital-specific procedures and relevant staff competencies. Baseline data (January–December 2019) showed variations in antibiotic consumption: 951 days of therapy (DOT) per 1000 days present in the control and 496 in the intervention wards in hospital 1, and 737 and 714 in hospital 2, respectively. During 1-year implementation, clinical pharmacists audited 1890 antibiotic prescriptions in hospital 1 (June 2020–May 2021) and 1628 in hospital 2 (July 2020–July 2021), and will continue PAF in their daily work.ConclusionOur data confirmed the need to contextualise AMS programmes in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) and demonstrated the usefulness of implementation research design in assessing programme feasibility. Developing staff competencies, using local data to stimulate actions and integrating programme activities in routine hospital work are key to success in LMICs.

scholarly journals Unlocking fiscal space of expanding the health workforce in district health systems in Uganda in the context of PEPFAR transition  

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henry Zakumumpa ◽  
Joseph Rujumba ◽  
Amde Woldekidan ◽  
Respicius Damian Shumbusho ◽  
Freddie Ssengooba
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Health Workforce ◽  
Implementation Research ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
National Level ◽  
Transition Process ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
District Health ◽  
Wage Bill ◽  
Fiscal Space

Abstract Although expanding fiscal space for health worker recruitments could reduce workforce shortages in Sub-Saharan Africa, effective strategies for achieving this are still unclear. We aimed to understand the process of transitioning health workers (HWs) from PEPFAR to Government of Uganda (GoU) payrolls and to explore the facilitators and barriers encountered in increasing domestic financial responsibility for absorbing this transitioned workforce. We conducted a multiple case-study of 10 (out of 87) districts in Uganda which received PEPFAR support between 2013 and 2015 to expand their health workforce. We purposively selected eight districts with the highest absorption rates (‘High absorbers’) and two with the lowest absorption rates (‘Low absorbers’). A total of 66 interviews were conducted with high-level officials in three Ministries of Finance, Health and Public Service (n = 14), representatives of PEPFAR implementing organizations (n = 16), District Health Teams (n = 15) and facility managers (n = 22). Twelve focus groups were conducted with 87 HWs absorbed on GoU payrolls. We utilized the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) to guide thematic analysis. At sub-national level, facilitators of transition in ‘high absorber’ districts were identified as the presence of transition ‘champions’, prioritizing HWs in district wage bill commitments, host facilities providing ‘bridge financing’ to transition workforce during salary delays and receiving donor technical support in district wage bill analysis- attributes which were absent in ‘low absorber’ districts. At national-level, multi-sectoral engagements (incorporating the influential Ministry of Finance), developing a joint transition road map, aligning with GoU salary scales and recruitment processes emerged as facilitators of the transition process. Overall, PEPFAR support acted as a catalyst for increasing GoU and facility-level budget allocations towards expanding the health workforce in focus districts in Uganda. Our case-studies offer implementation research lessons on effective donor transition and insights into pragmatic strategies for expanding fiscal space for health in a low-income setting.

scholarly journals 229. Hospitalists Antimicrobial Scorecard Improves Antibiotic Prescribing at a Community Teaching Hospital

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S116-S116
Author(s):  
Julia Sessa ◽  
Helen Jacoby ◽  
Bruce Blain ◽  
Lisa Avery
Keyword(s):  
Patient Care ◽  
Teaching Hospital ◽  
Antimicrobial Stewardship ◽  
Rank Order ◽  
Antibiotic Use ◽  
Outpatient Setting ◽  
Antibiotic Prescribing ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Days Of Therapy ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Measuring antimicrobial consumption data is a foundation of antimicrobial stewardship programs. There is data to support antimicrobial scorecard utilization to improve antibiotic use in the outpatient setting. There is a lack of data on the impact of an antimicrobial scorecard for hospitalists. Our objective was to improve antibiotic prescribing amongst the hospitalist service through the development of an antimicrobial scorecard. Methods Conducted in a 451-bed teaching hospital amongst 22 full time hospitalists. The antimicrobial scorecard for 2019 was distributed in two phases. In October 2019, baseline antibiotic prescribing data (January – September 2019) was distributed. In January 2020, a second scorecard was distributed (October – December 2019) to assess the impact of the scorecard. The scorecard distributed via e-mail to physicians included: Antibiotic days of therapy/1,000 patient care days (corrected for attending census), route of antibiotic prescribing (% intravenous (IV) vs % oral (PO)) and percentage of patients prescribed piperacillin-tazobactam (PT) for greater than 3 days. Hospitalists received their data in rank order amongst their peers. Along with the antimicrobial scorecard, recommendations from the antimicrobial stewardship team were included for hospitalists to improve their antibiotic prescribing for these initiatives. Hospitalists demographics (years of practice and gender) were collected. Descriptive statistics were utilized to analyze pre and post data. Results Sixteen (16) out of 22 (73%) hospitalists improved their antibiotic prescribing from pre- to post-scorecard (χ 2(1)=3.68, p = 0.055). The median antibiotic days of therapy/1,000 patient care days decreased from 661 pre-scorecard to 618 post-scorecard (p = 0.043). The median PT use greater than 3 days also decreased significantly, from 18% pre-scorecard to 11% post-scorecard (p = 0.0025). There was no change in % of IV antibiotic prescribing and no correlation between years of experience or gender to antibiotic prescribing. Conclusion Providing antimicrobial scorecards to our hospitalist service resulted in a significant decrease in antibiotic days of therapy/1,000 patient care days and PT prescribing beyond 3 days. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

scholarly journals Birth prevalence of tetrahydrobiopterin deficiency in China: data from the national newborn screening program, 2013–2019

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuelian Yuan ◽  
Jun Zhu ◽  
Hanmin Liu ◽  
Liangcheng Xiang ◽  
Yongna Yao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Screening Program ◽  
National Level ◽  
Recall Rate ◽  
Birth Prevalence ◽  
Live Births ◽  
Provincial Level ◽  
Tetrahydrobiopterin Deficiency ◽  
Total Prevalence ◽  
Entire Country ◽  
Northern Regions

Abstract Background Tetrahydrobiopterin deficiency (BH4D), a less common form of hyperphenylalaninemia (HPA), can lead to severe developmental retardation if untreated. Little has been reported on the prevalence of BH4D among live births worldwide. This study examined its prevalence across China and between geographical areas within the country. Methods We analyzed data from the Chinese national screening program for HPA in newborns between 2013 and 2019. BH4D prevalence was examined by province, region and the entire country. Provincial-level prevalence was estimated from the number of confirmed BH4D cases and screened newborns, after adjusting for HPA-positive recall rate. Regional- and national-level prevalences were estimated by summing provincial-level prevalences after weighting them by the number of live births. A Poisson distribution was assumed in order to calculate 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for prevalence. Results Among 107,078,115 newborns screened for HPA in China, 380 with BH4D were identified, corresponding to a total prevalence of 3.8 per 1,000,000 live births. Prevalence was higher in eastern regions (5.9 per 1,000,000) and northern regions (4.1 per 1,000,000) of China than in southern regions (1.6 per 1,000,000) or northwestern regions (1.7 per 1,000,000). Across the entire country, 3.9% cases of HPA were diagnosed as BH4D, and this proportion reached as high as 15.1% in the southern part of the country. Conclusions These first insights into BH4D prevalence across China suggest slightly higher prevalence than in other countries, and it varies substantially by region. More attention should be paid to early diagnosis and timely treatment of BH4D.

scholarly journals Drivers of Broad-Spectrum Antibiotic Overuse across Diverse Hospital Contexts—A Qualitative Study of Prescribers in the UK, Sri Lanka and South Africa

Antibiotics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 94
Author(s):  
Carolyn Tarrant ◽  
Andrew M. Colman ◽  
David R. Jenkins ◽  
Edmund Chattoe-Brown ◽  
Nelun Perera ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Antimicrobial Stewardship ◽  
Broad Spectrum ◽  
Low Income ◽  
System Level ◽  
Comparative Approach ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
The Uk

Antimicrobial stewardship programs focus on reducing overuse of broad-spectrum antibiotics (BSAs), primarily through interventions to change prescribing behavior. This study aims to identify multi-level influences on BSA overuse across diverse high and low income, and public and private, healthcare contexts. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 46 prescribers from hospitals in the UK, Sri Lanka, and South Africa, including public and private providers. Interviews explored decision making about prescribing BSAs, drivers of the use of BSAs, and benefits of BSAs to various stakeholders, and were analyzed using a constant comparative approach. Analysis identified drivers of BSA overuse at the individual, social and structural levels. Structural drivers of overuse varied significantly across contexts and included: system-level factors generating tensions with stewardship goals; limited material resources within hospitals; and patient poverty, lack of infrastructure and resources in local communities. Antimicrobial stewardship needs to encompass efforts to reduce the reliance on BSAs as a solution to context-specific structural conditions.

Designing, Implementing, and Managing a National Emergency Medical Service in Sierra Leone

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Luca Ragazzoni ◽  
Marta Caviglia ◽  
Paolo Rosi ◽  
Riccardo Buson ◽  
Sara Pini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Emergency Medical Service ◽  
Sierra Leone ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Medical Service ◽  
Joint Venture ◽  
National Level ◽  
Emergency Medical ◽  
National Emergency ◽  
Operation Center

Abstract Sierra Leone is one of the least developed low-income countries (LICs), slowly recovering from the effects of a devastating civil war and an Ebola outbreak. The health care system is characterized by chronic shortage of skilled human resources, equipment, and essential medicines. The referral system is weak and vulnerable, with 75% of the country having insufficient access to essential health care. Consequently, Sierra Leone has the highest maternal and child mortality rates in the world. This manuscript describes the implementation of a National Emergency Medical Service (NEMS), a project aiming to create the first prehospital emergency medical system in the country. In 2017, a joint venture of Doctors with Africa (CUAMM), Veneto Region, and Research Center in Emergency and Disaster Medicine (CRIMEDIM) was developed to support the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MOHS) in designing and managing the NEMS system, one of the very few structured, fully equipped, and free-of-charge prehospital service in the African continent. The NEMS design was the result of an in-depth research phase that included a preliminary assessment, literature review, and consultations with key stakeholders and managers of similar systems in other African countries. From May 27, 2019, after a timeframe of six months in which all the districts have been progressively trained and made operational, the NEMS became operative at national level. By the end of March 2020, the NEMS operation center (OC) and the 81 ambulances dispatched on the ground handled a total number of 36,814 emergency calls, 35,493 missions, and 31,036 referrals.

scholarly journals Acceptability and effectiveness of antimicrobial stewardship implementation strategies on fluoroquinolone prescribing

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Katie J. Suda ◽  
Gosia S. Clore ◽  
Charlesnika T. Evans ◽  
Heather Schacht Reisinger ◽  
Ibuola Kale ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antimicrobial Stewardship ◽  
Clinical Pathways ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Implementation Strategies ◽  
Antibiotic Use ◽  
Audit And Feedback ◽  
Prior Approval ◽  
Days Of Therapy ◽  
Prospective Audit And Feedback ◽  
Advanced Generation

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

scholarly journals Implementation of a Rapid Phenotypic Susceptibility Platform for Gram-Negative Bloodstream Infections With Paired Antimicrobial Stewardship Intervention: Is the Juice Worth the Squeeze?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evan D Robinson ◽  
Allison M Stilwell ◽  
April E Attai ◽  
Lindsay E Donohue ◽  
Megan D Shah ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Median Time ◽  
Antimicrobial Stewardship ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Bloodstream Infections ◽  
Standard Of Care ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Gram Negative ◽  
Stewardship Program ◽  
Days Of Therapy ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Implementation of the Accelerate PhenoTM Gram-negative platform (RDT) paired with antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) intervention projects to improve time to institutional-preferred antimicrobial therapy (IPT) for Gram-negative bacilli (GNB) bloodstream infections (BSIs). However, few data describe the impact of discrepant RDT results from standard of care (SOC) methods on antimicrobial prescribing. Methods A single-center, pre-/post-intervention study of consecutive, nonduplicate blood cultures for adult inpatients with GNB BSI following combined RDT + ASP intervention was performed. The primary outcome was time to IPT. An a priori definition of IPT was utilized to limit bias and to allow for an assessment of the impact of discrepant RDT results with the SOC reference standard. Results Five hundred fourteen patients (PRE 264; POST 250) were included. Median time to antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) results decreased 29.4 hours (P &lt; .001) post-intervention, and median time to IPT was reduced by 21.2 hours (P &lt; .001). Utilization (days of therapy [DOTs]/1000 days present) of broad-spectrum agents decreased (PRE 655.2 vs POST 585.8; P = .043) and narrow-spectrum beta-lactams increased (69.1 vs 141.7; P &lt; .001). Discrepant results occurred in 69/250 (28%) post-intervention episodes, resulting in incorrect ASP recommendations in 10/69 (14%). No differences in clinical outcomes were observed. Conclusions While implementation of a phenotypic RDT + ASP can improve time to IPT, close coordination with Clinical Microbiology and continued ASP follow up are needed to optimize therapy. Although uncommon, the potential for erroneous ASP recommendations to de-escalate to inactive therapy following RDT results warrants further investigation.

scholarly journals Effects of a Paediatric Antimicrobial Stewardship Program on Antimicrobial Use and Quality of Prescriptions in Patients with Appendix-Related Intraabdominal Infections

Antibiotics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 5
Author(s):  
Sílvia Simó ◽  
Eneritz Velasco-Arnaiz ◽  
María Ríos-Barnés ◽  
María Goretti López-Ramos ◽  
Manuel Monsonís ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antimicrobial Stewardship ◽  
Broad Spectrum ◽  
Case Fatality ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Antimicrobial Use ◽  
Stewardship Program ◽  
Days Of Therapy ◽  
Length Of Therapy ◽  
Intraabdominal Infections

The effectiveness of antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASP) in reducing antimicrobial use (AU) in children has been proved. Many interventions have been described suitable for different institution sizes, priorities, and patients, with surgical wards being one of the areas that may benefit the most. We aimed to describe the results on AU and length of stay (LOS) in a pre-post study during the three years before (2014–2016) and the three years after (2017–2019) implementation of an ASP based on postprescription review with feedback in children and adolescents admitted for appendix-related intraabdominal infections (AR-IAI) in a European Referral Paediatric University Hospital. In the postintervention period, the quality of prescriptions (QP) was also evaluated. Overall, 2021 AR-IAIs admissions were included. Global AU, measured both as days of therapy/100 patient days (DOT/100PD) and length of therapy (LOT), and global LOS remained unchanged in the postintervention period. Phlegmonous appendicitis LOS (p = 0.003) and LOT (p < 0.001) significantly decreased, but not those of other AR-IAI diagnoses. The use of piperacillin–tazobactam decreased by 96% (p = 0.044), with no rebound in the use of other Gram-negative broad-spectrum antimicrobials. A quasisignificant (p = 0.052) increase in QP was observed upon ASP implementation. Readmission and case fatality rates remained stable. ASP interventions were safe, and they reduced LOS and LOT of phlegmonous appendicitis and the use of selected broad-spectrum antimicrobials, while increasing QP in children with AR-IAI.

scholarly journals POS-305 IMPLEMENTATION RESEARCH: STRATEGIES AND BARRIERS TO DEVELOP A CREATININE STANDARDIZATION PROGRAM IN A LOW-INCOME REGION

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. S131
Author(s):  
M.E. Bianchi ◽  
A.M. Cusumano ◽  
M.N. Stacchiotti ◽  
U.N.A. Ulfeldt ◽  
C.M. Verduna ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Implementation Research ◽  
Research Strategies

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

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabelle Viel-Thériault ◽  
Amisha Agarwal ◽  
Erika Bariciak ◽  
Nicole Le Saux ◽  
Nisha Thampi
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care ◽  
Antimicrobial Stewardship ◽  
Neonatal Intensive Care ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Audit And Feedback ◽  
Clinical Indication ◽  
Surgical Prophylaxis ◽  
Early Onset Sepsis ◽  
Days Of Therapy ◽  
Antibiotic Courses

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

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