National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
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AHRQ Research Studies
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Research Studies is a compilation of published research articles funded by AHRQ or authored by AHRQ researchers.
Results
26 to 50 of 253 Research Studies DisplayedLaytner L, Chen P, Nash S
Perspectives on non-prescription antibiotic use among Hispanic patients in the Houston Metroplex.
This study examined non-prescription use of antibiotics among Hispanic adults in the Houston area. The study included Hispanic primary care clinic patients with different types of health insurance coverage in the Houston metroplex who endorsed non-prescription use in a previous survey. Semistructured interviews were conducted in English or Spanish with 35 participants primarily female (68.6%) and aged 27 to 66. Participants reported obtaining antibiotics through under-the-counter US markets, trusted persons, and purchased without a prescription abroad. Factors contributing to non-prescription use included beliefs that the doctor visit was unnecessary, limited access to healthcare, and communication difficulties. However, participants expressed confidence in medical recommendations from pharmacists and trusted community members.
AHRQ-funded; HS026901.
Citation: Laytner L, Chen P, Nash S .
Perspectives on non-prescription antibiotic use among Hispanic patients in the Houston Metroplex.
J Am Board Fam Med 2023 May 8; 36(3):390-404. doi: 10.3122/jabfm.2022.220416R1..
Keywords: Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Antibiotics, Medication, Antimicrobial Stewardship
Patel D, Ng T, Madani LS
Antibiotic stewardship to reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescribing in integrated academic health-system urgent care clinics.
The purpose of this study was to conceptualize and implement antibiotic stewardship activities in urgent care that targets non-antibiotic-appropriate acute respiratory tract infections (ARIs) that also decreases general antibiotic prescribing and preserves patient satisfaction. The stewardship initiative commenced in fiscal year 2020 and included development of measures, comparative feedback, and education for clinicians and patients. The study measured antibiotic prescribing in fiscal years (FY) 2019, 2020, and 2021 for the stewardship goals, possible diagnosis-shifting visits, and overall prescribing. The researchers also collected patient satisfaction data for ARI visits. The study found that from FY 2019 to FY21, 576,609 patients made 1,358,816 visits to 17 urgent care clinics, including 105,781 visits for which stewardship measures were applied and 149,691 visits for which diagnosis shifting measures were applied. The antibiotic prescribing rate decreased for stewardship-measure visits from 34% in FY 2019 to 12% in FY 2021 The antibiotic prescribing rate decreased for diagnosis-shifting visits from 63% to 35%, and the antibiotic prescribing rate decreased overall from 30% to 10%. The patient satisfaction rate increased from 83% in FY 2019 to 89% in FY 2020 and FY 2021. There was no significant relationship between antibiotic prescribing rates of individual clinicians and ARI visit patient satisfaction.
AHRQ-funded; 233201500020I; HS026506; HS028127.
Citation: Patel D, Ng T, Madani LS .
Antibiotic stewardship to reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescribing in integrated academic health-system urgent care clinics.
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2023 May; 44(5):736-45. doi: 10.1017/ice.2022.164..
Keywords: Antimicrobial Stewardship, Antibiotics, Medication
Keller S, Miller MA, Cosgrove SE
AHRQ Author: Miller MA
The AHRQ Safety Program for Improving Antibiotic Use in Practice.
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Safety Program for Improving Antibiotic Use was an antibiotic stewardship intervention implemented across the United States in 2020 in 389 primary and urgent care practices. The AHRQ Toolkit to Improve Antibiotic Use in Ambulatory Care has been created based on integration of the educational material used in the AHRQ safety program and the experiences of the participating practices. The toolkit includes presentations on developing, implementing, and maintaining antibiotic stewardship activities; a gap analysis tool; and a guide to accessing and reporting antibiotic prescription data. Practices can use these tools to build their antibiotic stewardship teams and begin working on programs. Improving antibiotic prescribing in ambulatory care is a critical need. Utilizing the AHRQ Toolkit to Improve Antibiotic Use in Ambulatory Care can assist practices in achieving their antibiotic stewardship goals.
AHRQ-authored; AHRQ-funded; 233201500020I.
Citation: Keller S, Miller MA, Cosgrove SE .
The AHRQ Safety Program for Improving Antibiotic Use in Practice.
Am Fam Physician 2023 May; 107(5):456-57..
Keywords: Antibiotics, Antimicrobial Stewardship, Medication, Ambulatory Care and Surgery, Tools & Toolkits
Lee AH, McEvoy DS, Stump T
Implementation of an electronic alert to improve timeliness of second dose antibiotics for patients with suspected serious infections in the emergency department: a quasi-randomized controlled trial.
This study analyzed the influence of clinical decision support (CDS) to prevent delays in second doses of broad-spectrum antibiotics in the emergency department (ED). The authors allocated adult patients who received cefepime or piperacillin/tazobactam in 9 EDs within an integrated health care system to an electronic alert that reminded ED clinicians to reorder antibiotics at the appropriate interval vs usual care. Primary outcome was a median delay in antibiotic administration, and secondary outcomes were rates of intensive care unit (ICU) admission, hospital mortality, and hospital length of stay. A total of 1,113 ED patients treated with cefepime or piperacillin/tazobactam were enrolled in the study, of whom 420 remained under ED care when their second dose was due. The electronic alert system was associated with reduced antibiotic delays, but there were no differences in ICU transfers, inpatient mortality, or hospital length of stay.
AHRQ-funded; HS027170.
Citation: Lee AH, McEvoy DS, Stump T .
Implementation of an electronic alert to improve timeliness of second dose antibiotics for patients with suspected serious infections in the emergency department: a quasi-randomized controlled trial.
Ann Emerg Med 2023 Apr;81(4):485-91. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2022.10.022.
Keywords: Antibiotics, Medication, Emergency Department, Clinical Decision Support (CDS), Health Information Technology (HIT)
Antoon JW, Grijalva CG, Carroll AR
Parental perceptions of penicillin allergy risk stratification and delabeling.
The purpose of this study was to explore parental perceptions of the PCN allergy evaluation and removal process, especially in the hospital setting. Investigators conducted focus groups consisting of parent of children and adolescents with a PCN allergy label discharged from a large academic children’s hospital between January 1, 2019, and April 15, 2020. The focus groups answered questions about PCN allergy testing and evaluation, accuracy of the PCN allergy diagnosis, amoxicillin oral challenges, delabeling process, and preferred setting for PCN allergy delabeling evaluation (outpatient clinic, hospital, etc). The study concluded family concerns remained even after children passed an oral challenge, and that some parents preferred testing in a hospital setting and thought it was a safer location for the procedure.
AHRQ-funded; HS026122.
Citation: Antoon JW, Grijalva CG, Carroll AR .
Parental perceptions of penicillin allergy risk stratification and delabeling.
Hosp Pediatr 2023 Apr; 13(4):300-08. doi: 10.1542/hpeds.2022-006737..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Antibiotics, Medication, Risk
Thurman Johnson C, Ridge LJ, Hessels AJ
Nurse engagement in antibiotic stewardship programs: a scoping review of the literature.
This scoping review described how nurses are engaged in hospital-based antibiotic stewardship programs (ASPs) and to what extent this overlaps with the CDC framework. The authors concluded that, although hospitals were engaging nurses in antibiotic stewardship programs, their selected approaches did not reflect the full breadth of opportunities identified by the CDC. They noted that more detail as to how precisely nurses were engaged would be a useful addition to the literature; more research was also needed on nurse engagement in culturing or testing and penicillin allergy evaluation.
AHRQ-funded; HS026418.
Citation: Thurman Johnson C, Ridge LJ, Hessels AJ .
Nurse engagement in antibiotic stewardship programs: a scoping review of the literature.
J Healthc Qual 2023 Mar-Apr;45(2):69-82. doi: 10.1097/jhq.0000000000000372.
Keywords: Antimicrobial Stewardship, Antibiotics, Medication, Provider: Nurse
Olmeda K, Trautner BW, Laytner L
Prevalence and predictors of using antibiotics without a prescription in a pediatric population in the United States.
This study assessed the prevalence of antibiotic use in children in the previous 12 months, storage of antimicrobials, and intended use of non-prescription antibiotics (professed intention for future non-prescription antibiotic use). A diverse sample of caregivers of children under 18 years were surveyed in English and Spanish at two safety net clinics in Texas from January 2021 to April 2022. There was an 82% response rate, with 17% surveyed in Spanish. Approximately 21% reported storing antibiotics in their home, specifically amoxicillin (n = 52), clindamycin (n = 10), cephalexin (n = 5), penicillin (n = 3), and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (n = 3). Nearly 15% reported intention to give non-prescription antibiotics to their children, with three Spanish-speaking caregivers reporting giving non-prescription antibiotics to their child in the previous 12 months. Younger caregivers were associated with storage and intended use of non-prescription antibiotics.
AHRQ-funded; HS027869.
Citation: Olmeda K, Trautner BW, Laytner L .
Prevalence and predictors of using antibiotics without a prescription in a pediatric population in the United States.
Antibiotics 2023 Mar;12(3). doi: 10.3390/antibiotics12030491..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Antibiotics, Medication, Antimicrobial Stewardship
Chiotos K, Blumenthal J, Boguniewicz J
Antibiotic indications and appropriateness in the pediatric intensive care unit: a 10-center point prevalence study.
The purpose of this study was to describe indications and appropriateness of antibiotic orders in pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) patients. The study found that of 1462 patients admitted to participating PICUs, 58% had at least 1 antibiotic order, with 1277 antibiotic orders being reviewed. Common indications were empiric therapy for suspected bacterial infections without sepsis or septic shock, nonoperative prophylaxis, empiric therapy for sepsis or septic shock, community-acquired pneumonia, and post-operative prophylaxis. Appropriateness was evaluated for 985 orders for which an evidence-based heading for appropriateness could be created. Of these, 34% were categorized as inappropriate. Indications with the most orders classified as inappropriate were empiric therapy for suspected bacterial infection without sepsis or septic shock, sepsis or septic shock, CAP, ventilator-associated infections, and post-operative prophylaxis. The proportion of antibiotics classified as inappropriate differed across institutions.
AHRQ-funded; HS026393.
Citation: Chiotos K, Blumenthal J, Boguniewicz J .
Antibiotic indications and appropriateness in the pediatric intensive care unit: a 10-center point prevalence study.
Clin Infect Dis 2023 Feb 8; 76(3):e1021-e30. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciac698..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Antibiotics, Medication, Antimicrobial Stewardship, Sepsis
Jindai K, Itaya T, Ogawa Y
Decline in oral antimicrobial prescription in the outpatient setting after nationwide implementation of financial incentives and provider education: an interrupted time-series analysis.
Researchers examined the impact of financial incentives to providers and provider education on overall antimicrobial prescription rates. They also analyzed how nationwide outpatient antimicrobial stewardship interventions in cases where antimicrobials were deemed unnecessary for uncomplicated respiratory infections and acute diarrhea affected different age groups before and after their implementation. The results indicated that prescription rates for all age groups showed a downward trend throughout the study period. Substantial reductions in prescription rates were observed among infants under 2 years, while provider education immediately reduced prescription rates in all age groups uniformly. Interventions did not affect the long-term trend for any age group.
AHRQ-funded; HS027472.
Citation: Jindai K, Itaya T, Ogawa Y .
Decline in oral antimicrobial prescription in the outpatient setting after nationwide implementation of financial incentives and provider education: an interrupted time-series analysis.
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2023 Feb; 44(2):253-59. doi: 10.1017/ice.2022.49..
Keywords: Antimicrobial Stewardship, Antibiotics, Medication, Ambulatory Care and Surgery
Chiotos K, Marshall D, Kellom K
Mixed-methods process evaluation of a respiratory-culture diagnostic stewardship intervention.
The purpose of this study was to perform an evaluation of a diagnostic stewardship initiative for respiratory culture in the healthcare setting within a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) in a tertiary-care center. The study found that the frequency of culture collection per day of service differed among attending physicians, ranging from 2.2 to 27 cultures per 100 days. A total of 14 interviews were conducted, and 87 clinicians (response rate: 47%) along with 77 nurses or respiratory therapists (response rate: 17%) participated in the survey. There was a variation in clinicians' stated practices concerning culture ordering, which was influenced by both their specialty and their perception of the respiratory culture's usefulness. Additionally, group "default" practices, fear, and hierarchy affected the decision to order cultures. Obstacles to standardization encompassed concerns about missing a diagnosis and the conflict between standardized practices and individual judgment.
AHRQ-funded; HS026393.
Citation: Chiotos K, Marshall D, Kellom K .
Mixed-methods process evaluation of a respiratory-culture diagnostic stewardship intervention.
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2023 Feb; 44(2):191-99. doi: 10.1017/ice.2022.299..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Antibiotics, Medication, Antimicrobial Stewardship, Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
Smith SS, Caliendo A, Cheng BT
Patient perspectives on the drivers and deterrents of antibiotic treatment of acute rhinosinusitis: a qualitative study.
This study examined patient perceptions regarding what drives or deters them from wanting, seeking, and taking antibiotics for treatment of acute rhinosinusitis (ARS). Nineteen adults diagnosed with ARS within the prior 60 days at the Northwestern Medicine General Internal Medicine clinic in Chicago, IL were interviewed. Drivers of antibiotic use were: (1) symptoms, especially discolored rhinorrhea, and seeking relief, (2) belief that antibiotics are a convenient and/or effective way to relieve/cure sinusitis, and (3) desire for tangible outcomes of a clinic visit. Deterrents included: (1) concern about antibiotic resistance, (2) preference for other treatments or preference to avoid medications, and (3) desire to avoid a healthcare visit. A trustworthy physician’s recommendations for antibiotics were a driver, and a recommendation against antibiotics as well as a delayed antibiotic prescription also served as a deterrent.
AHRQ-funded; HS023011; 233201500020I; HS026506; HS028127.
Citation: Smith SS, Caliendo A, Cheng BT .
Patient perspectives on the drivers and deterrents of antibiotic treatment of acute rhinosinusitis: a qualitative study.
J Gen Intern Med 2023 Feb; 38(3):683-90. doi: 10.1007/s11606-022-07811-y..
Keywords: Antibiotics, Medication, Respiratory Conditions
Tan MS, Gomez-Lumbreras A, Villa-Zapata L
Colchicine and macrolides: a cohort study of the risk of adverse outcomes associated with concomitant exposure.
The authors conducted a cohort study using electronic health records comparing encounters with colchicine plus a macrolide and colchicine with an antibiotic non-macrolide, then assessed the relationship between the two groups. They found that heart failure was more frequent in the colchicine plus a macrolide cohort and that there was also a higher mortality rate. As there is a significant increase in the risk of hepatic failure and mortality when colchicine is concomitantly administered with a macrolide, they concluded that colchicine should not be used concomitantly with these antibiotics or should be temporarily discontinued to avoid toxic levels of colchicine.
AHRQ-funded; HS025984.
Citation: Tan MS, Gomez-Lumbreras A, Villa-Zapata L .
Colchicine and macrolides: a cohort study of the risk of adverse outcomes associated with concomitant exposure.
Rheumatol Int 2022 Dec;42(12):2253-59. doi: 10.1007/s00296-022-05201-5..
Keywords: Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Medication, Risk, Antibiotics, Medication: Safety, Patient Safety
Wurcel AG, Essien UR, Ortiz C
Variation by race in antibiotics prescribed for hospitalized patients with skin and soft tissue infections.
This cohort study examined antibiotics prescribed and variations by race among hospitalized patients with skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs). A subanalysis of multisite, cross-sectional data collected through a national survey of acute care hospital groups within Vizient, Inc. considering adult inpatients treated for SSTIs was used. Of the 1242 adult inpatients included from 91 US hospitals, 45% were female, 18% were Black, and 69% were White with a mean age of 58 years. Penicillin allergy with hives was found in 23%, 19% with rash, and 18% with unknown effects, with allergy found more frequent in Black patients (23%) versus White (18%). Adjusting for multiple factors, White inpatients were at an increased risk of cefazolin use and decreased risk of clindamycin use compared with Black inpatients. Cefazolin use with less likely to be prescribed to Black inpatients than White inpatients and they were likely to be prescribed clindamycin. Cefazolin is considered a first-line SSTI treatment with clindamycin not recommended given frequent dosing and high potential for adverse effects including Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI). Although penicillin allergy is described as more prevalent among White patients, the authors observed an increased prevalence among Black inpatients compared with White inpatients treated for SSTI.
Citation: Wurcel AG, Essien UR, Ortiz C .
Variation by race in antibiotics prescribed for hospitalized patients with skin and soft tissue infections.
JAMA Netw Open 2021 Dec;4(12):e2140798. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.40798..
Keywords: Antibiotics, Skin Conditions, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Practice Patterns, Medication
Guzman A, Brown T, Lee JY
Look-back and look-forward durations and the apparent appropriateness of ambulatory antibiotic prescribing.
Researchers assessed how the apparent appropriateness of antibiotic prescribing changes when using different look-back and look-forward periods. Classifying all ambulatory antibiotic prescriptions in the electronic health record of an integrated health care system as chronic, appropriate, potentially appropriate, inappropriate, or not associated with any diagnosis, they concluded that ambulatory programs and studies focused on appropriate or inappropriate antibiotic prescribing can reasonably use a short duration of association between an antibiotic prescription and diagnosis codes. They further indicated that programs and studies focused on potentially appropriate antibiotic prescribing might consider examining longer durations.
AHRQ-funded; HS024930.
Citation: Guzman A, Brown T, Lee JY .
Look-back and look-forward durations and the apparent appropriateness of ambulatory antibiotic prescribing.
Antibiotics 2022 Nov 4;11(11). doi: 10.3390/antibiotics11111554..
Keywords: Antibiotics, Antimicrobial Stewardship, Medication, Ambulatory Care and Surgery, Practice Patterns
Soper NS, Appukutty AJ, Paje D
Antibiotic overuse after discharge from medical short-stay units.
This study investigated antibiotic overuse after discharge from medical short-stay units (SSUs). This cross-sectional study included patients hospitalized in 2 different medical SSUs with a total of 40 beds at a single academic medical center. Eligible adults were discharged with an oral antibiotic from either SSU from May 2018 to September 2019. Of 100 patients discharged from SSUs with antibiotics, 47 had a skin and soft-tissue infection (SSTI), 22 pneumonia, 21 UTI, and 10 had “other” infections. Overall, 78 cases (78%) were defined as overuse, including 39 of 47 of those treated for SSTI, 17 of 21 for UTI, and 14 of 22 for pneumonia. The most common types of overuse were excess duration and guideline discordant selection. Examples of factors influencing overuse included consultant recommendations, miscalculation of duration, and the need for source control procedure.
AHRQ-funded; HS026530.
Citation: Soper NS, Appukutty AJ, Paje D .
Antibiotic overuse after discharge from medical short-stay units.
Nov;43(11):1689-92. doi: 10.1017/ice.2021.346..
Keywords: Antibiotics, Antimicrobial Stewardship, Medication, Pneumonia, Skin Conditions, Urinary Tract Infection (UTI), Respiratory Conditions, Hospital Discharge
Sullivan BA, Panda A, Wallman-Stokes A
Antibiotic spectrum index: a new tool comparing antibiotic use in three NICUs.
This study looked at a new tool called the antibiotic spectrum index (ASI) which quantifies antibiotic exposure by relative antimicrobial activity, adding information to exposure measured by days of therapy (DOT). This index was tested with very low-birth-weight infants (VLBW, <1500g) in 3 level-4 NICUs for 2 years at 2 sites and for 1 year at a third site. The authors calculated the ASI per antibiotic days and DOT per patient days for all admitted VLBW infants <32 weeks gestational age. The site with the highest DOT per patient days was found to have the lowest ASI per antibiotic days and the site with the highest mortality and infection rates were found to have the highest ASI per antibiotic days. Antibiotic utilization varied by center.
AHRQ-funded; HS026742.
Citation: Sullivan BA, Panda A, Wallman-Stokes A .
Antibiotic spectrum index: a new tool comparing antibiotic use in three NICUs.
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2022 Nov;43(11):1553-57. doi: 10.1017/ice.2021.467..
Keywords: Antibiotics, Medication, Newborns/Infants, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Critical Care, Antimicrobial Stewardship
Smith JT, Manickam RN, Barreda F
Quantifying the breadth of antibiotic exposure in sepsis and suspected infection using spectrum scores.
The purpose of this retrospective cohort study was to apply a validated method to describe the level of antimicrobial coverage in a cohort of patients with suspected infection and sepsis. The researchers conducted the study across 21 hospitals with patients admitted to the hospital through the ED between January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2017, with suspected infection or sepsis and receiving antibiotics during hospitalization. The researchers quantified the level of antimicrobial coverage using the Spectrum Score, a numerical score from 0 to 64. Of 364,506 hospital admissions through the ED, researchers identified 43.6% with suspected infection and 56.4% with sepsis. Inpatient mortality was greater among those with sepsis (8.4%) compared to those with suspected infection (1.2%). Patients with sepsis had higher median global Spectrum Scores and additive Spectrum Scores compared to those with suspected infection. Increased Spectrum Scores were related with inpatient mortality, even after covariate adjustments. Spectrum Scores quantify the inconsistency in antibiotic level among individual patients, between suspected infection and sepsis groups, over the course of the hospitalization, and across infection sources.
AHRQ-funded; HS026725.
Citation: Smith JT, Manickam RN, Barreda F .
Quantifying the breadth of antibiotic exposure in sepsis and suspected infection using spectrum scores.
Medicine 2022 Oct 14; 101(41):e30245. doi: 10.1097/md.0000000000030245..
Keywords: Antibiotics, Sepsis, Medication
Snyder BM, Patterson MF, Gebretsadik T
Association between asthma status and prenatal antibiotic prescription fills among women in a Medicaid population.
The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between maternal asthma and outpatient prenatal antibiotic prescription fills to inform antibiotic stewardship. With data from the Tennessee Medicaid Program, findings showed that women with asthma had an increased risk of filling at least one prenatal antibiotic prescription and had an increased number of fills during pregnancy compared to women without asthma. These findings highlight that pregnant women with asthma disproportionately fill more antibiotic prescriptions during pregnancy.
AHRQ-funded; HS018454.
Citation: Snyder BM, Patterson MF, Gebretsadik T .
Association between asthma status and prenatal antibiotic prescription fills among women in a Medicaid population.
J Asthma 2022 Oct;59(10):2100-07. doi: 10.1080/02770903.2021.1993247..
Keywords: Asthma, Respiratory Conditions, Pregnancy, Antibiotics, Antimicrobial Stewardship, Medication, Maternal Care, Women, Chronic Conditions
Warren DK, Peacock KM, Nickel KB
Postdischarge prophylactic antibiotics following mastectomy with and without breast reconstruction.
The authors investigated factors associated with post-discharge prophylactic antibiotic use after mastectomy with and without immediate reconstruction and the impact on surgical-site infection (SSI). They found that anti-methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus antibiotics were associated with decreased risk of SSI for patients who had mastectomy only and those who had mastectomy with immediate reconstruction. They concluded that the high numbers needed to treat suggest that potential benefits of post-discharge antibiotics should be weighed against potential harms associated with antibiotic overuse.
AHRQ-funded; HS019455.
Citation: Warren DK, Peacock KM, Nickel KB .
Postdischarge prophylactic antibiotics following mastectomy with and without breast reconstruction.
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2022 Oct;43(10):1382-88. doi: 10.1017/ice.2021.400..
Keywords: Antibiotics, Cancer: Breast Cancer, Cancer, Medication, Surgery, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Prevention, Women, Practice Patterns
Vaughn VM, Ratz D, Greene MT
Antibiotic stewardship strategies and their association with antibiotic overuse after hospital discharge: an analysis of the Reducing Overuse of Antibiotics at Discharge (ROAD) home framework.
Researchers sought to understand strategies to optimize antibiotic prescribing at discharge. Surveying Michigan hospitals on their antibiotic stewardship strategies for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and urinary tract infection (UTI), they found that the more stewardship strategies a hospital reported, the lower its antibiotic overuse at discharge.
AHRQ-funded; HS026530.
Citation: Vaughn VM, Ratz D, Greene MT .
Antibiotic stewardship strategies and their association with antibiotic overuse after hospital discharge: an analysis of the Reducing Overuse of Antibiotics at Discharge (ROAD) home framework.
Clin Infect Dis 2022 Sep 29;75(6):1063-72. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciac104..
Keywords: Antimicrobial Stewardship, Antibiotics, Medication, Hospital Discharge, Transitions of Care
Dutta S, McEvoy DS, Rubins DM
Clinical decision support improves blood culture collection before intravenous antibiotic administration in the emergency department.
This paper discusses the outcomes of using a clinical decision support (CDS) tool that was implemented in emergency departments (EDs) for sepsis patients to remind healthcare staff to take blood cultures before administration of intravenous (IV) antibiotics. The study compared timely blood culture collection outcomes prior to IV antibiotics for 54,538 adult ED patients 1 year before and after a CDS intervention implementation in the electronic health record. The baseline phase found that 46.1% had blood cultures prior to IV antibiotics, compared to 58.8% after the intervention. The CDS improved blood culture collection rates without increasing overutilization.
AHRQ-funded; HS02717.
Citation: Dutta S, McEvoy DS, Rubins DM .
Clinical decision support improves blood culture collection before intravenous antibiotic administration in the emergency department.
J Am Med Inform Assoc 2022 Sep 12;29(10):1705-14. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocac115..
Keywords: Clinical Decision Support (CDS), Health Information Technology (HIT), Antibiotics, Emergency Department, Medication, Sepsis
Kakiuchi S, Livorsi DJ, Perencevich EN
Days of antibiotic spectrum coverage: a novel metric for inpatient antibiotic consumption.
The purpose of this study was to develop a novel metric for antibiotic consumption, days of antibiotic spectrum coverage (DASC), to address the limitations of the current benchmarking metric days of therapy (DOT). The researchers developed their spectrum scoring system by assessing 77 antibiotics in 16 categories of antibacterial activity and creating a cumulative daily antibiotic spectrum coverage (ASC) score. To compare hospital benchmarking using DOT and DASC, the researchers conducted a retrospective cohort study of adult patients admitted to acute care units within the Veterans Health Administration system in 2018. The study found little relationship between DOT per 1000 and DASC per DOT, suggesting that lower antibiotic consumption at a hospital does not necessarily mean more frequent use of narrow-spectrum antibiotics. The researchers concluded that DASC is a potential replacement for DOT.
AHRQ-funded; HS027472.
Citation: Kakiuchi S, Livorsi DJ, Perencevich EN .
Days of antibiotic spectrum coverage: a novel metric for inpatient antibiotic consumption.
Clin Infect Dis 2022 Sep 10;75(4):567-76. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciab1034..
Keywords: Antibiotics, Medication, Antimicrobial Stewardship
Redwood R, Schulz LT, Pop-Vicas A
A perfect storm: COVID-19 and antimicrobial resistance.
The purpose of this article was to discuss key factors that contributed to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) with an emphasis on lessons learned and next steps. The authors report that the pandemic strained healthcare systems worldwide and disrupted standard infection control and antimicrobial stewardship practices, which are essential to limit the spread of multidrug-resistant organisms and decrease selective pressure related to inappropriate or unnecessary antimicrobial therapy. Disruptions to these practices are compounded by the disproportionately long hospital and intensive care unit stays observed in critically ill COVID-19 patients, leading to secondary bacterial infections that are notoriously difficult to treat and increase the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics, which can drive resistance. The article further states that the pandemic has led to shortages in personal protective equipment, increased workload, and staffing issues, all of which have disrupted routine antimicrobial stewardship activities. The article concludes that COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to develop new therapeutic interventions for infectious diseases that do not rely solely on antibiotics, and stresses the importance of incorporating the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic into future efforts to combat AMR.
AHRQ-funded; HS028669.
Citation: Redwood R, Schulz LT, Pop-Vicas A .
A perfect storm: COVID-19 and antimicrobial resistance.
EMJ, Microbiol Infect Dis 2022 Sep; 2022. doi: 10.33590/emjmicrobiolinfectdis/22-00082..
Keywords: COVID-19, Antimicrobial Stewardship, Antibiotics, Medication
Cuellar A, Pomeroy JML, Burla S
Quality of antibiotic prescribing in a large direct-to-patient telehealth program: an observational study.
This study looked at the quality of antibiotic prescribing in direct-to-patient (DTP) telehealth visits compared to primary care visits, retail clinics, urgent care, or emergency department (ED). Claims were examined for 2,400,198 visits who were continually enrolled with a large national health insurer during 2016-2017 and treated for acute respiratory infection (ARI), or for women uncomplicated UTI. For streptococcal pharyngitis, the authors further measured whether a culture or rapid Group A Streptococcus test was done. Antibiotic prescription management for ARIs and UTIs was guideline-concordant comparable between televisits and several other settings. Patients with pharyngitis who received antibiotics were less likely to receive rapid Strep testing for televisits compared with primary care, retail clinics, urgent care, and EDs.
AHRQ-funded; HS025163.
Citation: Cuellar A, Pomeroy JML, Burla S .
Quality of antibiotic prescribing in a large direct-to-patient telehealth program: an observational study.
J Gen Intern Med 2022 Sep;37(12):3202-04. doi: 10.1007/s11606-021-07354-8..
Keywords: Antibiotics, Medication, Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Practice Patterns
Koo G, Yu R, Phillips E
Retrospective stratification of cephalosporin allergy label risk using validated penicillin allergy frameworks.
The purpose of this study was to validate whether a history-based risk criteria used for penicillin allergy labels (PALs) is applicable to cephalosporin allergy labels (CALs), or whether there are additional features that require evaluation. From 2014 to 2019, the researchers evaluated a total of 322 patients with a total of 384 CALs in their outpatient drug allergy clinic for a completion of skin testing or a direct oral challenge. A total of 77.1% of patients had a negative testing result and were challenged. A total of 99.1% oral challenges were tolerated, leading to label removal, with 2 failures. 4.9% of patients had negative skin testing results and were delabeled afterward due to reported tolerance of a relevant cephalosporin since their index reaction. 5.6% of patients with negative skin testing result did not undergo oral challenge initially, but subsequently tolerated a cephalosporin treatment, which would trigger delabeling. Therefore, 94.8% of patients included for analysis had a complete cephalosporin allergy evaluation up to the level of either known tolerance or positive testing. Only 5.2% of included patients had complete, negative skin testing result and unknown tolerance of a challenge or treatment. The researchers concluded that history-based risk stratification of CALs appears to be acceptable using the existing validated criteria for penicillin allergy, with the additional note that a reported reaction to an IV cephalosporin may be inherently more likely to test positive, and should be evaluated more carefully.
AHRQ-funded; HS026395.
Citation: Koo G, Yu R, Phillips E .
Retrospective stratification of cephalosporin allergy label risk using validated penicillin allergy frameworks.
J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract 2022 Sep;10(9):2472-75.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.jaip.2022.05.032..
Keywords: Antibiotics, Medication, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events