scholarly journals Quantifying the Gap between Expected and Actual Rates of Antibiotic Prescribing in British Columbia, Canada

Antibiotics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1428
Author(s):  
Ariana Saatchi ◽  
Ji-Won Yoo ◽  
Kevin L. Schwartz ◽  
Michael Silverman ◽  
Andrew M. Morris ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Acute Bronchitis ◽  
Antibiotic Use ◽  
Antibiotic Prescribing ◽  
Antibiotic Overuse ◽  
Physician Visits ◽  
Prescribing Quality ◽  
Tract Infections

Despite decades of stewardship efforts to combat antimicrobial resistance and quantify changes in use, the quality of antibiotic use in British Columbia (BC) remains unknown. As the overuse and misuse of antibiotics drives antibiotic resistance, it is imperative to expand surveillance efforts to examine the quality of antibiotic prescriptions. In late 2019, Canadian expected rates of antibiotic prescribing were developed for common infections. These rates were utilized to quantify the gap between the observed rates of prescribing and Canadian expected rates for antibiotic use for the province of BC. The prescribing data were extracted and matched to physician billing systems using anonymized patient identifiers from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2018. Outpatient prescribing was further subdivided into community and emergency department settings and stratified by the following age groups: <2 years, 2–18 years, and ≥19 years. The proportions of physician visits that received antibiotic prescription were compared against the Canadian expected rates to quantify the unnecessary use for 18 common indications. Respiratory tract infections (RTI), including acute bronchitis, acute sinusitis, and acute pharyngitis, reported significant levels of overprescribing. Across all ages and health care settings, prescribing for RTI indications occurred at rates 2–8 times higher than the expected rates recommended by a group of expert Canadian physicians. Understanding the magnitude of unnecessary prescribing is a first step in delineating the provincial prescribing quality. The quantification of antibiotic overuse offers concrete targets for provincial stewardship efforts to reduce unnecessary prescribing by an average of 30% across both outpatient and emergency care settings.

scholarly journals Optimising the quality of antibiotic prescribing in out-of-hours primary care in Belgium: a study protocol for an action research project

BMJ Open ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (10) ◽  
pp. e017522 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annelies Colliers ◽  
Samuel Coenen ◽  
Hilde Philips ◽  
Roy Remmen ◽  
Sibyl Anthierens
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
General Practitioners ◽  
Study Protocol ◽  
Daily Practice ◽  
Antibiotic Use ◽  
Antibiotic Prescribing ◽  
Out Of Hours ◽  
Prescribing Quality ◽  
Tract Infections

IntroductionAntimicrobial resistance is a major public health threat driven by inappropriate antibiotic use, mainly in general practice and for respiratory tract infections. In Belgium, the quality of general practitioners’ (GPs) antibiotic prescribing is low. To improve antibiotic use, we need a better understanding of this quality problem and corresponding interventions. A general practitioners cooperative (GPC) for out-of-hours (OOH) care presents a unique opportunity to reach a large group of GPs and work on quality improvement. Participatory action research (PAR) is a bottom-up approach that focuses on implementing change into daily practice and has the potential to empower practitioners to produce their own solutions to optimise their antibiotic prescribing.MethodsThis PAR study to improve antibiotic prescribing quality in OOH care uses a mixed methods approach. In a first exploratory phase, we will develop a partnership with a GPC and map the existing barriers and opportunities. In a second phase, we will focus on facilitating change and implementing interventions through PDSA (Plan-Do-Study-Act) cycles. In a third phase, antibiotic prescribing quality outside and antibiotic use during office hours will be evaluated. Equally important are the process evaluation and theory building on improving antibiotic prescribing.EthicsThe study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Antwerp University Hospital/University of Antwerp. PAR unfolds in response to the needs and issues of the stakeholders, therefore new ethics approval will be obtained at each new stage of the research.DisseminationInterventions to improve antibiotic prescribing are needed now more than ever and outcomes will be highly relevant for GPCs, GPs in daily practice, national policymakers and the international scientific community.Trial registration numberNCT03082521; Pre-results.

scholarly journals A Review of Evidence-Based Recommendations for Pericoronitis Management and a Systematic Review of Antibiotic Prescribing for Pericoronitis among Dentists: Inappropriate Pericoronitis Treatment Is a Critical Factor of Antibiotic Overuse in Dentistry

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (13) ◽  
pp. 6796
Author(s):  
Jan Schmidt ◽  
Martina Kunderova ◽  
Nela Pilbauerova ◽  
Martin Kapitan
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Local Therapy ◽  
Critical Factor ◽  
Antibiotic Use ◽  
Narrative Review ◽  
Antibiotic Prescribing ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Antibiotic Overuse ◽  
Clinically Significant

This work provides a narrative review covering evidence-based recommendations for pericoronitis management (Part A) and a systematic review of antibiotic prescribing for pericoronitis from January 2000 to May 2021 (Part B). Part A presents the most recent, clinically significant, and evidence-based guidance for pericoronitis diagnosis and proper treatment recommending the local therapy over antibiotic prescribing, which should be reserved for severe conditions. The systematic review includes publications analyzing sets of patients treated for pericoronitis and questionnaires that identified dentists' therapeutic approaches to pericoronitis. Questionnaires among dentists revealed that almost 75% of them prescribed antibiotics for pericoronitis, and pericoronitis was among the top 4 in the frequency of antibiotic use within the surveyed diagnoses and situations. Studies involving patients showed that antibiotics were prescribed to more than half of the patients with pericoronitis, and pericoronitis was among the top 2 in the frequency of antibiotic use within the monitored diagnoses and situations. The most prescribed antibiotics for pericoronitis were amoxicillin and metronidazole. The systematic review results show abundant and unnecessary use of antibiotics for pericoronitis and are in strong contrast to evidence-based recommendations summarized in the narrative review. Adherence of dental professionals to the recommendations presented in this work can help rapidly reduce the duration of pericoronitis, prevent its complications, and reduce the use of antibiotics and thus reduce its impact on patients' quality of life, healthcare costs, and antimicrobial resistance development.

scholarly journals 1117. A Retrospective Analysis of Paediatric Prescribing in British Columbia from 2013 to 2016

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. S397-S397
Author(s):  
Ariana Saatchi ◽  
David M Patrick ◽  
James McCormack ◽  
Andrew Morris ◽  
Fawziah Marra
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Geographic Location ◽  
Pediatric Care ◽  
Antibiotic Prescribing ◽  
Prescription Database ◽  
Prescription Data ◽  
Upper Respiratory Tract ◽  
Tract Infections

Abstract Background Antibiotic prescribing in pediatric care is highly prevalent. Often children are prescribed antibiotics for conditions that are commonly self-limiting and viral in etiology such as upper respiratory tract infections. The purpose of this study was to examine the scope of pediatric antibiotic prescribing in British Columbia from 2013 to 2016 and identify potential new provincial antimicrobial stewardship targets. Methods Antibiotic prescription data for children were extracted from a provincial prescription database, and linked to demographic files in order to obtain patient age, sex and geographic location. Prescription rates were then calculated, and trends were examined by major anatomical therapeutic chemical (ATC) classification. Results Our cohort included an average of 271,134 children per year and 1,767,652 antibiotic prescriptions. Over the 4 years, rates of antibiotic prescribing increased 4.5% (from 453 to 474 prescriptions per 1,000 population per year). The greatest increase, across all classes of antibiotics, was seen in children aged 0–2 years of age. By 2016, the greatest increase in prescribing, by class, was observed in J01X (e.g., nitrofurantoin, fosfomycin) with a 1360% increase for children aged 3–9. Across all ages, quinolones (J01M) increased 98%. Remaining classes, including β lactams (J01C), and macrolides (J01F), experienced modest reductions in the older age groups. Conclusion Past studies have illustrated decreasing or static rates of antibiotic prescribing in British Columbia. However, we have identified a paradoxical (4.5%) increase in pediatric antibiotic prescribing since 2013. Although it appears that provincial efforts have been successful in reducing the use of broad-spectrum penicillins (J01C), marked surges in the use of classes like tetracylines (J01A), quinolones (J01M), and other antibacterials (J01X) identify a new potential target for provincial stewardship. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.

scholarly journals Measuring antimicrobial prescribing quality in outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) services: development and evaluation of a dedicated national antimicrobial prescribing survey

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
N Deborah Friedman ◽  
Seok M Lim ◽  
Rodney James ◽  
Robyn Ingram ◽  
Mary O’Reilly ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antimicrobial Therapy ◽  
Inappropriate Prescribing ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Antibiotic Use ◽  
Driving Safety ◽  
Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy ◽  
Antimicrobial Prescribing ◽  
Prescribing Quality ◽  
Tract Infections

Abstract Background Antimicrobial stewardship programmes are important in driving safety and quality of antimicrobial prescribing. The National Antimicrobial Prescribing Survey (NAPS) is a point-prevalence audit of inpatient antimicrobial prescribing in Australian hospitals. Objectives To design and adapt the NAPS tool for use in the outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) and hospital-in-the-home (HITH) setting. Methods An inter-disciplinary working group with expertise in OPAT and HITH services was established to adapt the NAPS template for use in the OPAT setting—called HITH-NAPS. This was initially trialled in 5 HITH services, subsequently adapted following participant feedback, then offered nationally to 50 services in 2017. Results There were 1154 prescriptions for 715 patients audited via the HITH-NAPS. The most common antimicrobials prescribed were cefazolin (22%), flucloxacillin (12%), piperacillin/tazobactam (10%) and ceftriaxone (10%). The most common infections treated were cellulitis (30%) and respiratory tract infections (14%). Eighty-seven percent of prescriptions were assessed as appropriate, 11% inappropriate and 2% not assessable. Prolonged durations of antimicrobials and unnecessarily broad-spectrum antibiotics were used in 9% of prescriptions. Conclusions The HITH-NAPS pilot project revealed that auditing of this type is feasible in HITH. It showed that antibiotic use in these HITH services was generally appropriate, but there are some areas for improvement. A national OPAT/HITH-NAPS can facilitate benchmarking between services, identify potentially inappropriate prescribing and help guide quality improvement.

scholarly journals Does cash payment influence a GP’s decision to prescribe antibiotics?

2010 ◽  
pp. 125-132
Author(s):  
Marion Murphy
Keyword(s):  
Acute Otitis Media ◽  
Acute Bronchitis ◽  
Antibiotic Use ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Antibiotic Prescribing ◽  
Cold Sore ◽  
Cash Payment ◽  
The Common ◽  
Tract Infections ◽  
Rational Use Of Antibiotics

Antimicrobial resistance is a major public health concern and one of the primary factors contributing to resistance is the unnecessary use of antimicrobials. Many countries have developed strategies in order to promote the rational use of antibiotics. Ireland is only one of three European countries where outpatient antibiotic use is increasing, at a rate of 3% per year since 2000. The majority of antibiotic prescribing is conducted by General Practitioners (GPs) in the community, and wide variation is known to exist. The volume of antibiotics prescribed that are unnecessary in the community is unknown but it is believed that a number are used to treat minor respiratory tract infections. These conditions such as the common cold, sore throat, acute otitis media and acute bronchitis have no compelling evidence to support the use of antibiotics in their treatment. There are many external (non-clinical) factors that influence a GP’s decision to prescribe, ...

scholarly journals Variations in antibiotic use for respiratory tract infections

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Mckay ◽  
Michael Law ◽  
Kimberlyn McGrail ◽  
David Patrick
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory Tract ◽  
Respiratory Tract Infections ◽  
Antibiotic Use ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Antibiotic Prescribing ◽  
Fee For Service ◽  
Physician Visits ◽  
Population Distributions ◽  
Significant Public Health ◽  
Tract Infections

ABSTRACT ObjectivesAntibiotic resistance is a significant public health issue, driven in large part by selection pressure induced by antibiotic use. Despite knowledge that a reduction in inappropriate antibiotic use is important, significant and sustained behaviour change has remained difficult to achieve. Previous studies have suggested that prescribing decisions vary with patient comorbidities and age, as well as the physician’s age, claim volume, specialty, and continuity of care with the particular patient. Regional level variation has also been reported. The goal of this study is to explore variations in antibiotic prescribing for respiratory tract infections (RTIs) at the levels of patients, physicians, and regions. ApproachWe used data on fee-for-service physician visits from the universal Medical Services Plan (MSP) for all residents of British Columbia, Canada from 2002 to 2012. We identified a cohort of patient visits for RTI (ICD-9 codes 460-466, 480, or 487). We derived measures of healthcare use and comorbidities at the patient level, and measures of physician claim volume and frequency of respiratory tract infection management, at the level of the physician. We used data on antibiotics filled by individuals, the number of all medications filled by individuals each year, and counts of prescriptions written by physicians (and filled) by month, from the provincial drug insurance database. We linked antibiotic prescriptions to physician visits by patient and prescriber as antibiotics dispensed within 5 days after the RTI visit. We calculated measures of regional population distributions. We used data on meteorological temperature readings assigned to each region, for each day, and calculated 28-day moving averages. We linked data on patient demographics, physician demographics, and hospitalizations to our dataset. Our analysis will use hierarchical generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs) with logit link to account for the clustering effects of patients among physicians and regions, to model the odds of an antibiotic prescription being dispensed. Measures of variation will be discussed. ResultsBetween April 1, 2005 and March 31, 2012, there were over 10.5 million visits by nearly 3 million individuals, served by over 8000 physicians in 88 regions. Antibiotics were prescribed in 37% of all visits. ConclusionThese are preliminary results, with full analytic results available in the coming months. These results will have implications for better understanding the extent of variations in antibiotic prescribing, and some of the drivers of these variations, as well as the potential to inform ongoing efforts to improve the appropriateness of antibiotic use.

scholarly journals Development of an Electronic Algorithm to Identify Inappropriate Antibiotic Prescribing for Pediatric Pharyngitis

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. s188-s189
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Gerber ◽  
Robert Grundmeier ◽  
Keith Hamilton ◽  
Lauri Hicks ◽  
Melinda Neuhauser ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Predictive Value ◽  
Gold Standard ◽  
Antibiotic Stewardship ◽  
Chart Review ◽  
Antibiotic Use ◽  
Audit And Feedback ◽  
Urgent Care ◽  
Antibiotic Prescribing ◽  
Tract Infections ◽  
The Impact

Background: Antibiotic overuse contributes to antibiotic resistance and unnecessary adverse drug effects. Antibiotic stewardship interventions have primarily focused on acute-care settings. Most antibiotic use, however, occurs in outpatients with acute respiratory tract infections such as pharyngitis. The electronic health record (EHR) might provide an effective and efficient tool for outpatient antibiotic stewardship. We aimed to develop and validate an electronic algorithm to identify inappropriate antibiotic use for pediatric outpatients with pharyngitis. Methods: This study was conducted within the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) Care Network, including 31 pediatric primary care practices and 3 urgent care centers with a shared EHR serving >250,000 children. We used International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes to identify encounters for pharyngitis at any CHOP practice from March 15, 2017, to March 14, 2018, excluding those with concurrent infections (eg, otitis media, sinusitis), immunocompromising conditions, or other comorbidities that might influence the need for antibiotics. We randomly selected 450 features for detailed chart abstraction assessing patient demographics as well as practice and prescriber characteristics. Appropriateness of antibiotic use based on chart review served as the gold standard for evaluating the electronic algorithm. Criteria for appropriate use included streptococcal testing, use of penicillin or amoxicillin (absent β-lactam allergy), and a 10-day duration of therapy. Results: In 450 patients, the median age was 8.4 years (IQR, 5.5–9.0) and 54% were women. On chart review, 149 patients (33%) received an antibiotic, of whom 126 had a positive rapid strep result. Thus, based on chart review, 23 subjects (5%) diagnosed with pharyngitis received antibiotics inappropriately. Amoxicillin or penicillin was prescribed for 100 of the 126 children (79%) with a positive rapid strep test. Of the 126 children with a positive test, 114 (90%) received the correct antibiotic: amoxicillin, penicillin, or an appropriate alternative antibiotic due to b-lactam allergy. Duration of treatment was correct for all 126 children. Using the electronic algorithm, the proportion of inappropriate prescribing was 28 of 450 (6%). The test characteristics of the electronic algorithm (compared to gold standard chart review) for identification of inappropriate antibiotic prescribing were sensitivity (99%, 422 of 427); specificity (100%, 23 of 23); positive predictive value (82%, 23 of 28); and negative predictive value (100%, 422 of 422). Conclusions: For children with pharyngitis, an electronic algorithm for identification of inappropriate antibiotic prescribing is highly accurate. Future work should validate this approach in other settings and develop and evaluate the impact of an audit and feedback intervention based on this tool.Funding: NoneDisclosures: None

scholarly journals Development of an Electronic Algorithm to Target Outpatient Antimicrobial Stewardship Efforts for Acute Bronchitis

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. s32-s32
Author(s):  
Ebbing Lautenbach ◽  
Keith Hamilton ◽  
Robert Grundmeier ◽  
Melinda Neuhauser ◽  
Lauri Hicks ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antimicrobial Stewardship ◽  
Predictive Value ◽  
Gold Standard ◽  
Chart Review ◽  
Acute Bronchitis ◽  
Antibiotic Use ◽  
Antibiotic Prescribing ◽  
Diagnostic Codes ◽  
Icd 10 ◽  
The Impact

Background: Antibiotic resistance has increased at alarming rates, driven predominantly by antibiotic overuse. Although most antibiotic use occurs in outpatients, antimicrobial stewardship programs have primarily focused on inpatient settings. A major challenge for outpatient stewardship is the lack of accurate and accessible electronic data to target interventions. We sought to develop and validate an electronic algorithm to identify inappropriate antibiotic use for outpatients with acute bronchitis. Methods: This study was conducted within the University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS). We used ICD-10 diagnostic codes to identify encounters for acute bronchitis at any outpatient UPHS practice between March 15, 2017, and March 14, 2018. Exclusion criteria included underlying immunocompromising condition, other comorbidity influencing the need for antibiotics (eg, emphysema), or ICD-10 code at the same visit for a concurrent infection (eg, sinusitis). We randomly selected 300 (150 from academic practices and 150 from nonacademic practices) eligible subjects for detailed chart abstraction that assessed patient demographics and practice and prescriber characteristics. Appropriateness of antibiotic use based on chart review served as the gold standard for assessment of the electronic algorithm. Because antibiotic use is not indicated for this study population, appropriateness was assessed based upon whether an antibiotic was prescribed or not. Results: Of 300 subjects, median age was 61 years (interquartile range, 50–68), 62% were women, 74% were seen in internal medicine (vs family medicine) practices, and 75% were seen by a physician (vs an advanced practice provider). On chart review, 167 (56%) subjects received an antibiotic. Of these subjects, 1 had documented concern for pertussis and 4 had excluding conditions for which there were no ICD-10 codes. One received an antibiotic prescription for a planned dental procedure. Thus, based on chart review, 161 (54%) subjects received antibiotics inappropriately. Using the electronic algorithm based on diagnostic codes, underlying and concurrent conditions, and prescribing data, the number of subjects with inappropriate prescribing was 170 (56%) because 3 subjects had antibiotic prescribing not noted based on chart review. The test characteristics of the electronic algorithm (compared to gold standard chart review) for identification of inappropriate antibiotic prescribing were the following: sensitivity, 100% (161 of 161); specificity, 94% (130 of 139); positive predictive value, 95% (161 of 170); and negative predictive value, 100% (130 of 130). Conclusions: For outpatients with acute bronchitis, an electronic algorithm for identification of inappropriate antibiotic prescribing is highly accurate. This algorithm could be used to efficiently assess prescribing among practices and individual clinicians. The impact of interventions based on this algorithm should be tested in future studies.Funding: NoneDisclosures: None

scholarly journals Analysis of the interventions adopted due to the COVID-19 on ARI morbility for Colombia

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alvaro Quijano-Angarita ◽  
Oscar Espinosa ◽  
Marcela M Mercado-Reyes ◽  
Diana Walteros ◽  
Diana Carolina Malo
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory Infections ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
World Health ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Surveillance Systems ◽  
Highly Correlated ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Tract Infections ◽  
Official Declaration

Acute Respiratory Infections are among the leading causes of death globally, particularly in developing countries, and are highly correlated with the quality of health and surveillance systems and effective early interventions in high-risk age groups. According to the World Health Organization, about four million people die each year from mostly preventable respiratory tract infections, making it a public health concern. The official declaration of a pandemic in March 2020 due to the Sars-CoV-2 virus coincided with the influenza season in Colombia and with environmental alerts about low air quality that increase its incidence. The objective of this document is the application of a flexible model for the identification of the pattern and monitoring of ARI morbility for Colombia by age group that shows atypical patterns in the reported series for 5 departments and that coincide with the decisions implemented to contain the COVID-19

scholarly journals An Assessment of Inappropriate Antibiotic Use and Guideline Adherence for Uncomplicated Urinary Tract Infections

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J Durkin ◽  
Matthew Keller ◽  
Anne M Butler ◽  
Jennie H Kwon ◽  
Erik R Dubberke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Urinary Tract ◽  
Urinary Tract Infections ◽  
Antibiotic Use ◽  
Emergency Department Visits ◽  
Antibiotic Prescribing ◽  
Prescribing Practices ◽  
Duration Of Treatment ◽  
Minimal Impact ◽  
Tract Infections ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background In 2011, The Infectious Diseases Society of America released a clinical practice guideline (CPG) that recommended short-course antibiotic therapy and avoidance of fluoroquinolones for uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs). Recommendations from this CPG were rapidly disseminated to clinicians via review articles, UpToDate, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website; however, it is unclear if this CPG had an impact on national antibiotic prescribing practices. Methods We performed a retrospective cohort study of outpatient and emergency department visits within a commercial insurance database between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2013. We included nonpregnant women aged 18–44 years who had an International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification diagnosis code for a UTI with a concurrent antibiotic prescription. We performed interrupted time series analyses to determine the impact of the CPG on the appropriateness of the antibiotic agent and duration. Results We identified 654 432 women diagnosed with UTI. The patient population was young (mean age, 31 years) and had few comorbidities. Fluoroquinolones, nonfirstline agents, were the most commonly prescribed antibiotic class both before and after release of the guidelines (45% vs 42%). Wide variation was observed in the duration of treatment, with &gt;75% of prescriptions written for nonrecommended treatment durations. The CPG had minimal impact on antibiotic prescribing behavior by providers. Conclusions Inappropriate antibiotic prescribing is common for the treatment of UTIs. The CPG was not associated with a clinically meaningful change in national antibiotic prescribing practices for UTIs. Further interventions are necessary to improve outpatient antibiotic prescribing for UTIs.

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