29. Impact of Antimicrobial Stewardship Intervention on Unrestricted Meropenem Use Upon Transitions of Care

Background

Broad-spectrum antimicrobials, like carbapenems, are often initiated empirically and can be continued for long periods of time, which may increase rates of multi-drug resistant organisms. Antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASP) have been shown to decrease the duration of antimicrobial therapy. Since July 2017 at UTMB Health, meropenem use has been restricted to infectious diseases and intensive care unit (ICU) providers. This study evaluated the impact of an electronic medical record (EMR)-based ASP intervention on meropenem days of therapy (DOT) in patients transitioning from the ICU to the general floors.

Methods

Patients aged at least 18 years with an active medication order for meropenem upon transition from an ICU to a medical/surgical unit were included. Once transitioned, the active meropenem order appeared in the “review” column of the pharmacists’ queue. Pharmacists contacted the primary team, requested infectious diseases or ASP approval to continue therapy, and documented communication in the chart. Data for the pre- and post-intervention groups was collected retrospectively for the months of November 2017 to April 2018 and March 2020 to August 2020. The primary outcome of the study was meropenem DOT after transition from the ICU to the medical/surgical unit. Secondary outcomes of the study included meropenem total DOT, total number of meropenem doses after transfer to the medical unit, 30-day all-cause mortality, and 30-day readmission.

Results

A total of 163 patients were evaluated in both the pre-intervention (n = 87) and post-intervention groups (n = 76). Median meropenem DOT after transition of care (3 days vs. 2 days, P = 0.0004) and number of meropenem doses after transition (6 doses vs. 4 doses, P = 0.014) were significantly lower after TOC intervention implementation. However, total meropenem DOTs were not different at 5 days in both groups. Recommendations for de-escalation or discontinuation were accepted 60% of the time among providers.

Conclusion

An EMR-based ASP intervention did decrease meropenem DOT after patients were transitioned from the ICU to the medical/surgical floors. Results of the meropenem EMR-based ASP intervention may be used to expand to other broad-spectrum antimicrobials/antifungals in patients transitioning levels of care.

Disclosures

All Authors: No reported disclosures

Significant Publications on Infectious Diseases Pharmacotherapy in 2020

Purpose. To summarize the most highly esteemed, peer-reviewed, infectious diseases (ID) pharmacotherapy articles published in 2020. Summary. Members of the Houston Infectious Diseases Network (HIDN) nominated articles that were deemed to have noteworthy contributions to ID pharmacotherapy in 2020, including those on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS). To select the most significant articles of 2020, a survey was created and distributed to members of the Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists (SIDP) to vote on their top 10 articles of general ID and COVID-19 pharmacotherapy and one noteworthy HIV/AIDS publication. A total of 40 articles were nominated by HIDN: 35 articles pertaining to general ID/COVID-19 pharmacotherapy and 5 articles with HIV/AIDS involvement. Of the 247 SIDP members who responded to the survey, 205 and 42 members voted for general ID/COVID-19 pharmacotherapy articles and HIV/AIDS related articles, respectively. The top publications are summarized. Conclusion. In a taxing year of a global pandemic, the abundant and rapid distribution of ID literature has made it challenging for clinicians to stay informed of significant publications across the ID spectrum. This review summarizes significant ID-related publications in 2020 with the goal of aiding clinicians in staying up to date on the most relevant publications in ID pharmacotherapy.