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Research Studies is a compilation of published research articles funded by AHRQ or authored by AHRQ researchers.
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1 to 9 of 9 Research Studies DisplayedSullivan 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
Woods-Hill CZ, Colantuoni EA, Koontz DW
Association of diagnostic stewardship for blood cultures in critically ill children with culture rates, antibiotic use, and patient outcomes: results of the Bright STAR Collaborative.
The purpose of this AHRQ-funded prospective study was to assess the relationship between a 14-site PICU blood culture collaborative, the Bright STAR (Testing Stewardship for Antibiotic Reduction) collaborative, and culture rates, antibiotic use, and patient outcomes. The researchers collected data from each participating PICU across the United States and from the Children’s Hospital Association Pediatric Health Information System. The main outcome was blood culture rates, with secondary outcomes including: broad-spectrum antibiotic use and PICU rates of central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI), Clostridioides difficile infection, readmission, length of stay, sepsis, severe sepsis/septic shock, and mortality. The study found that the blood culture rate preimplementation across the 14 PICUs was 149.4 per 1000 patient days per month, and the rate postimplementation was 100.5 for a 33% relative reduction postimplementation. For those same periods, the rate of antibiotic use decreased from 506 days per 1000 patient-days per month preimplementation to 440 days per 1000 patient-days per month postimplementation, which reflects a 13% relative reduction. Rates of CLABSI decreased from 1.8 to 1.1 per 1000 central venous line days per month, a 36% relative reduction. The variables of length of stay, readmission, sepsis, severe sepsis/septic shock, and mortality were similar before and after implementation. The researchers concluded that collaborative interventions can reduce blood culture and antibiotic use in the PICU.
AHRQ-funded; HS025642.
Citation: Woods-Hill CZ, Colantuoni EA, Koontz DW .
Association of diagnostic stewardship for blood cultures in critically ill children with culture rates, antibiotic use, and patient outcomes: results of the Bright STAR Collaborative.
JAMA Pediatr 2022 Jul;176(7):690-98. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2022.1024..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Sepsis, Critical Care, Antibiotics, Medication, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Antimicrobial Stewardship
Chiotos K, Fitzgerald JC, Hayes M
Improving vancomycin stewardship in critically ill children.
The purpose of this study was to describe a quality improvement intervention to reduce the use of vancomycin in a tertiary care Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. Over a period of 3 years, the researchers conducted 3 quality improvement (QI) interventions including 1) stakeholder education, 2) development of a consensus-based guideline for empiric vancomycin use, and 3) implementation of the guideline through clinical decision support. The study found that of 1276 episodes of suspected bacterial infection, a total of 19 cases of bacteremia (1.5%) due to organisms requiring vancomycin therapy were identified, including 6 MRSA bacteremias. Over the 3-year period of the QI project, overall vancomycin DOT per 1000 patient days in the PICU decreased from a baseline mean of 182 DOT per 1000 patient days to 109 DOT per 1000 patient days (a 40% reduction). The study concluded that the intervention reduced overall vancomycin use in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit without evidence of harm.
AHRQ-funded; HS026393.
Citation: Chiotos K, Fitzgerald JC, Hayes M .
Improving vancomycin stewardship in critically ill children.
Pediatrics 2022 Apr;149(4):e2021052165. doi: 10.1542/peds.2021-052165..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Critical Care, Antimicrobial Stewardship, Antibiotics, Medication, Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
Woods-Hill CZ, Koontz DW, King AF
Practices, perceptions, and attitudes in the evaluation of critically ill children for bacteremia: a national survey.
Sending blood cultures in children at low risk of bacteremia can contribute to a cascade of unnecessary antibiotic exposure, adverse effects, and increased costs. In this study, the investigators aimed to describe practice variation, clinician beliefs, and attitudes about blood culture testing in critically ill children. They concluded that there is variation in blood culture practices in the pediatric ICU. Fear and reflexive habits are common drivers of cultures. These practices may contribute to over-testing for bacteremia.
AHRQ-funded; HS025642.
Citation: Woods-Hill CZ, Koontz DW, King AF .
Practices, perceptions, and attitudes in the evaluation of critically ill children for bacteremia: a national survey.
Pediatr Crit Care Med 2020 Jan;21(1):e23-e29. doi: 10.1097/pcc.0000000000002176..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Critical Care, Antimicrobial Stewardship, Antibiotics, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Patient Safety, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Decision Making
Chiotos K, Tamma PD, Gerber JS
Antibiotic stewardship in the intensive care unit: challenges and opportunities.
This study examined unique considerations and knowledge gaps in antibiotic stewardship intervention in the intensive care unit (ICU). There is limited data available, but the available data was summarized and included the impact of prospective audit and feedback, diagnostic test stewardship, rapid molecular diagnostic tests, and procalcitonin-guided algorithms for antibiotic discontinuation.
AHRQ-funded; HS026393.
Citation: Chiotos K, Tamma PD, Gerber JS .
Antibiotic stewardship in the intensive care unit: challenges and opportunities.
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2019 Jun;40(6):693-98. doi: 10.1017/ice.2019.74..
Keywords: Antimicrobial Stewardship, Antibiotics, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Critical Care, Antibiotics
Pepper DJ, Sun J, Rhee C
Procalcitonin-guided antibiotic discontinuation and mortality in critically ill adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
This study is a systematic review and meta-analysis on survival outcomes of using procalcitonin (PCT)-guided antibiotic discontinuation on critically ill adults. The study quality was assessing with the Cochrane risk of bias tool, and GRADEpro was used to grade evidence. PCT-guided discontinuation was associated with decreased mortality, but there was a high risk of bias in many of the studies reviewed with a low certainty of evidence. The authors suggest properly designed studies with mortality as the primary outcome is needed to further answer this question.
AHRQ-funded; HS025008.
Citation: Pepper DJ, Sun J, Rhee C .
Procalcitonin-guided antibiotic discontinuation and mortality in critically ill adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Chest 2019 Jun;155(6):1109-18. doi: 10.1016/j.chest.2018.12.029..
Keywords: Antibiotics, Critical Care, Evidence-Based Practice, Medication, Mortality, Outcomes, Sepsis
Doernberg SB, Aboo LM, Burdette SD
Essential resources and strategies for antibiotic stewardship programs in the acute care setting.
This study measured the success of antibiotic stewardship programs to rates of antibiotic resistant disease. A survey was conducted of US stewardship programs using a cross-section of members of 3 infectious diseases subspecialty societies. Two-hundred forty-four respondents from a variety of acute care settings filled out the survey. Eighty-five percent of surveyed programs demonstrated at least 1 improved outcome in the prior 2 years. Every 0.50 increase in pharmacist and physician full-time equivalent (FTE) support predicted a 1.48-fold increase in demonstration effectiveness.
AHRQ-funded; HS023866.
Citation: Doernberg SB, Aboo LM, Burdette SD .
Essential resources and strategies for antibiotic stewardship programs in the acute care setting.
Clin Infect Dis 2018 Sep 28;67(8):1168-74. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciy255..
Keywords: Antimicrobial Stewardship, Antibiotics, Critical Care, Medication
Johnson JK, Robinson GL, Pineles LL
Carbapenem MICs in Escherichia coli and Klebsiella species producing extended-spectrum beta-lactamases in critical care patients from 2001 to 2009.
Carbapenem antibiotics are used as a first line of therapy against ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae. The researchers examined a cohort of critical care patients for gastrointestinal colonization with carbapenem-resistant ESBL-producing strains (CR-ESBL strains). They found that 10 percent of the isolates were resistant to at least one carbapenem antibiotic.
AHRQ-funded; HS021068.
Citation: Johnson JK, Robinson GL, Pineles LL .
Carbapenem MICs in Escherichia coli and Klebsiella species producing extended-spectrum beta-lactamases in critical care patients from 2001 to 2009.
Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2017 Apr;61(4):e01718-16. doi: 10.1128/aac.01718-16.
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Keywords: Antibiotics, Critical Care, Medication, Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
Heid C, Knobloch MJ, Schulz LT
Use of the health belief model to study patient perceptions of antimicrobial stewardship in the acute care setting.
The authors identified themes associated with patient perceptions of antibiotic use and the role of patients in inpatient antimicrobial stewardship. They found that general medicine inpatients receiving at least one anti-infective medication recognized antibiotic resistance as a serious public health threat but expressed low perceived susceptibility to being personally affected by antibiotic resistance. Few participants reported being offered the opportunity to engage in shared decision making while hospitalized. The researchers concluded that the likelihood of patient engagement in stewardship practices is currently limited by low perceived susceptibility and lack of cues to act.
AHRQ-funded; HS023791.
Citation: Heid C, Knobloch MJ, Schulz LT .
Use of the health belief model to study patient perceptions of antimicrobial stewardship in the acute care setting.
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2016 May;37(5):576-82. doi: 10.1017/ice.2015.342.
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Keywords: Critical Care, Antimicrobial Stewardship, Antibiotics, Patient and Family Engagement, Patient Safety
