Antimicrobial Stewardship: Fighting Antimicrobial Resistance and Protecting Global Public Health

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a serious threat to global public health. It increases morbidity and mortality, and is associated with high economic costs due to its health care burden. Infections with multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria also have substantial implications on clinical and economic outcomes. Moreover, increased indiscriminate use of antibiotics during the COVID-19 pandemic will heighten bacterial resistance and ultimately lead to more deaths. This review highlights AMR's scale and consequences, the importance, and implications of an antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) to fight resistance and protect global health. Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS), an organizational or system-wide health-care strategy, is designed to promote, improve, monitor, and evaluate the rational use of antimicrobials to preserve their future effectiveness, along with the promotion and protection of public health. ASP has been very successful in promoting antimicrobials' appropriate use by implementing evidence-based interventions. The "One Health" approach, a holistic and multisectoral approach, is also needed to address AMR's rising threat. AMS practices, principles, and interventions are critical steps towards containing and mitigating AMR. Evidence-based policies must guide the "One Health" approach, vaccination protocols, health professionals' education, and the public's awareness about AMR.

The Critical Role of the Staff Nurse in Antimicrobial Stewardship--Unrecognized, but Already There

An essential participant in antimicrobial stewardship who has been unrecognized and underutilized is the "staff nurse." Although the role of staff nurses has not formally been recognized in guidelines for implementing and operating antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) or defined in the medical literature, they have always performed numerous functions that are integral to successful antimicrobial stewardship. Nurses are antibiotic first responders, central communicators, coordinators of care, as well as 24-hour monitors of patient status, safety, and response to antibiotic therapy. An operational analysis of inpatient admissions evaluates these nursing stewardship activities and analyzes the potential benefits of nurses' formal education about, and inclusion into, ASPs.

Antifungal stewardship considerations for adults and pediatrics

Antifungal stewardship refers to coordinated interventions to monitor and direct the appropriate use of antifungal agents in order to achieve the best clinical outcomes and minimize selective pressure and adverse events. Antifungal utilization has steadily risen over time in concert with the increase in number of immunocompromised adults and children at risk for invasive fungal infections (IFI). Challenges in diagnosing IFI often lead to delays in treatment and poorer outcomes. There are also emerging data linking prior antifungal exposure and suboptimal dosing to the emergence of antifungal resistance, particularly for Candida. Antimicrobial stewardship programs can take a multi-pronged bundle approach to ensure suitable prescribing of antifungals via post-prescription review and feedback and/or prior authorization. Institutional guidelines can also be developed to guide diagnostic testing in at-risk populations; appropriate choice, dose, and duration of antifungal agent; therapeutic drug monitoring; and opportunities for de-escalation and intravenous-to-oral conversion.

Antimicrobial Stewardship and Intensive Care Unit Mortality: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

Antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) using audit and feedback in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting can reduce harms related to inappropriate antibiotic use. However, inappropriate discontinuation or narrowing of antibiotic treatment could increase infection-related mortality in this population. Individual ASP studies are underpowered to detect differences in mortality.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of audit and feedback in the ICU setting, using mortality as our outcome.

RESULTS

Of 2447 citations, 11 studies met our inclusion criteria. Although a variety of study designs were used to assess reductions in antibiotic use, mortality was analyzed using an uncontrolled before-after study design in all studies. Five studies directed audit and feedback to all or most ICU patients receiving antibiotics and measured overall ICU mortality. In the meta-analysis of these studies, the pooled relative risk of ICU mortality was 1.03 (95% confidence interval, .93-1.14). A second meta-analysis of 3 smaller studies that evaluated mortality only in patients directly assessed by the ASP found a pooled relative risk of ICU mortality of 1.06 (95% confidence interval, .80 to 1.4). Three studies were not appropriate for meta-analysis, but their results were consistent with our overall findings.

CONCLUSIONS

Our systematic review did not identify a change in mortality associated with antimicrobial stewardship using audit and feedback in the ICU setting. These results increase our confidence that audit and feedback can be safely implemented in this setting. Future studies should report standardized estimates of mortality and use more robust study designs to assess mortality, when feasible.

Perspective of Pakistani Physicians towards Hospital Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs: A Multisite Exploratory Qualitative Study

Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global threat and the antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) is a globally used tool to combat AMR. There is little information on the views among Pakistani physicians regarding AMR and the benefits of hospital antimicrobial stewardship implementation. This study was designed to explore the physicians' views about ASP. Methods: Qualitative face-to-face and telephonic interviews were conducted by using purposive sampling method with 22 physicians working in seven tertiary care public hospitals of Punjab, Pakistan. All interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Qualitative software was used, and a thematic analysis was conducted. Results: Three broad themes were identified: (1) the growing concern of antimicrobial resistance in Pakistan, (2) the role(s) of healthcare professionals in antibiotic prescribing, and (3) managing antibiotic resistance in hospitals. Inadequate resources, poor healthcare facilities, and insufficiently trained medical staff were the major hurdles in ASP implementation in Pakistan. Conclusions: Our study found a poor familiarity of hospital ASP among physicians working in public sector tertiary care teaching hospitals, and a number of distinct themes emerged during this study that could be helpful in establishing the concept of hospital ASP in Pakistan. Overall, physicians showed a positive attitude towards the enforcement of ASP in all healthcare settings, including teaching hospitals.

An Infectious Diseases Physician-Led Antimicrobial Stewardship Program at a Small Community Hospital Associated With Improved Susceptibility Patterns and Cost-Savings After the First Year

The importance of antimicrobial stewardship is increasingly recognized, yet data from community hospitals are limited. Despite an initially low acceptance rate, an Infectious Diseases physician-led program at a 70-bed rural hospital was associated with a 42% decrease in anti-infective expenditures and susceptibility improvement in Pseudomonas aeruginosa over 3 years.

Antimicrobial stewardship and antibiograms: importance of moving beyond traditional antibiograms

The rapid evolution of resistance, particularly among Gram-negative bacteria, requires appropriate identification of patients at risk followed by administration of appropriate empiric antibiotic therapy. A primary tenet of antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) is the establishment of empiric antibiotic recommendations for commonly encountered infections. An important tool in providing empiric antibiotic therapy recommendations is the use of an antibiogram. While the majority of institutions use a traditional antibiogram, ASPs have an opportunity to enhance antibiogram data. The authors provide the rationale for why ASPs should implement alternative antibiograms, and the importance of incorporating an antibiogram into clinical decision support systems with the goal of providing effective empiric antibiotic therapy.

Control of multidrug resistant bacteria in a tertiary care hospital in India

BACKGROUND

The objective of this study was to assess the impact of antimicrobial stewardship programs on the multidrug resistance patterns of bacterial isolates. The study comprised an initial retrospective analysis of multidrug resistance in bacterial isolates for one year (July 2007-June 2008) followed by prospective evaluation of the impact of Antimicrobial Stewardship programs on resistance for two years and nine months (July 2008-March 2011).

SETTING

A 300-bed tertiary care private hospital in Gurgaon, Haryana (India)

FINDINGS

METHODS

Study Design• July 2007 to June 2008: Resistance patterns of bacterial isolates were studied.• July 2008: Phase I intervention programme Implementation of an antibiotic policy in the hospital.• July 2008 to June 2010: Assessment of the impact of the Phase I intervention programme.• July 2010 to March 2011: Phase II intervention programme: Formation and effective functioning of the antimicrobial stewardship committee. Statistical correlation of the Defined daily dose (DDD) for prescribed drugs with the antimicrobial resistance of Gram negatives.

RESULTS

Phase I intervention programme (July 2008) resulted in a decrease of 4.47% in ESBLs (E.coli and Klebsiella) and a significant decrease of 40.8% in carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas. Phase II intervention (July 2010) brought a significant reduction (24.7%) in carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas. However, the resistance in the other Gram negatives (E.coli, Klebsiella, and Acinetobacter) rose and then stabilized. A positive correlation was observed in Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter with carbapenems and cefoperazone-sulbactam.Piperacillin-tazobactam showed a positive correlation with Acinetobacter only. E.coli and Klebsiella showed positive correlation with cefoparazone-sulbactam and piperacillin-tazobactam.

CONCLUSION

An antimicrobial stewardship programme with sustained and multifaceted efforts is essential to promote the judicious use of antibiotics.

Efficacy of a Postprescription Review of Broad-Spectrum Antimicrobial Agents With Feedback: A 4-Year Experience of Antimicrobial Stewardship at a Tertiary Care Center

Background

An inpatient antimicrobial stewardship program is vital for judicious antimicrobial use. We began a hospital-wide, postprescription review with feedback (PPRF) in 2014; the present study evaluated its impact on antimicrobial consumption and clinical outcomes over 4 years.

Methods

Once-weekly PPRF for carbapenems and piperacillin/tazobactam was implemented. We tracked the data on each antimicrobial use as days of therapy (DOT) per 1000 patient-days (PD). Changes in the incidence of drug-resistant organisms, in-hospital mortality, and length of hospital stay per month were analyzed by an interrupted time series.

Results

Carbapenem use continued to decline in the preintervention and intervention periods (−0.73 and −0.003 DOT/1000 PD, respectively), and although monthly average use remained low in the intervention period (8.3 DOT/1000 PD), more importantly, the postintervention change in the slope diminished significantly. Piperacillin/tazobactam use showed a steeper decline in the intervention period, but the change in the slope was not statistically significant (change in slope: −0.20 DOT/1000 PD per month [P = .16]). Postintervention use of narrower-spectrum antimicrobials including ampicillin/sulbactam (change in slope: +0.58 DOT/1000 PD per month [P < .001]) increased. 

The antimicrobial cost and the monthly average length of hospital stay also declined (−37.4 USD/1000 PD per month [P < .001] and −0.04 days per month [P < .001], respectively), whereas few postintervention changes in the incidence of drug-resistant organisms were observed.

Conclusions

In our study, the 4-year PPRF for broad-spectrum antimicrobials coincided with a reduction in the use of targeted antimicrobials and resulted in an improvement in 1 patient-centered outcome, thus conferring the additional benefit of reducing expenditures for antimicrobials.

Antimicrobial resistance and the post antibiotic era: better late than never effort

Introduction: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a multi-layered problem with a calamitous impact on humans, livestock, the environment, and the biosphere. Initiatives and action plan to preclude AMR remain poorly implemented in India.Area covered: This review highlights essential factors contributing to AMR, epidemiology of the resistant bacteria, current treatment options, economic impact, and regulatory efforts initiated by the Indian government to tackle AMR.Expert opinion: Health-care professionals, hospitals, and the general public must understand and cooperatively implement the 'One Health approach,' which entails judicious use of antibiotics in humans, animals, and the environment. Neglecting the AMR problem predicts the expansion of the 'Post-antibiotic era' characterized by drying antibiotic discovery pipelines, overuse of 'Watch' and 'Reserve' groups, coupled with underuse of 'Access' antibiotics, increased daily defined doses, increased healthcare cost, rise in morbidity, mortality, and environmental degradation. The Indian case study elucidates a looming international crisis that demands global attention and commitment for envisaging and implementing locally relevant solutions.

Effects of implementation of an online comprehensive antimicrobial-stewardship program in ICUs: A longitudinal study

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE

The long-term effects of antimicrobial-stewardship programs in the intensive care units (ICUs) have not been adequately examined. We evaluated the impact of an online comprehensive antimicrobial stewardship program (OCASP) on the outcomes of patients in 200-bed medical/surgical ICUs over the course of 11 years.

METHODS

We analyzed the records of adult patients admitted to ICUs during the 5 years before (n = 27,499) and the 6 years after (n = 33,834) implementation of an OCASP. Antimicrobial consumption, expenditures, duration of treatment, incidence of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), prevalence of HAIs caused by antimicrobial-resistant strains, and crude or sepsis-related mortality of patients were analyzed. Segmented regression analyses of interrupted time series were used to assess the significance of changes in antimicrobial use.

RESULTS

Compared to the patients in the pre-OCASP period, the patients in the post-OCASP period were older, had greater disease severity, longer ICU stays, and were more likely to receive antimicrobials, but had lower antimicrobial expenditures and crude and sepsis-related mortality. The trend of overall antimicrobial use [slope of defined daily dose/1000 patient-days vs. time) increased significantly before OCASP implementation (p < 0.001), but decreased significantly after implementation (p < 0.01). The administration duration of all classes of antibiotics were significantly shorter (p < 0.001) and the incidences of HAIs were significantly lower (p < 0.001) after implementation. However, there was an increase in the proportion of HAIs caused by carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii relative to all A. baumannii infections.

CONCLUSION

Implementation of an OCASP in the ICUs reduced antimicrobial consumption and expenditures, but did not compromise healthcare quality.

Multi-Drug Resistant Escherichia coli, Biosecurity and Anti-Microbial Use in Live Bird Markets, Abeokuta, Nigeria

Live bird markets (LBM) remain a critical link from farm to fork in the poultry value chain, which oftentimes promotes indiscriminate antimicrobial use (AMU) and resistance (AMR). In this study, we assessed biosecurity practices, AMU, and associated these with multidrug resistant (MDR) E. coli in LBMs in Abeokuta, Ogun State. A cross-sectional survey among live bird sellers (LBS) in eight LBMs was conducted using a semi-structured questionnaire. Also, cloacal samples (n = 200) were randomly collected and pooled for bacteriological detection of MDR E. coli in live chickens of consenting LBS. Susceptibility to 14 antimicrobials belonging to 6 different classes was determined using the disk diffusion method. Biosecurity level and AMU were generally low. LBS less than 46 years were 6.8- fold more likely to fall within the poor biosecurity level (Crudes odds ratio = 6.8; 95% CI; 1.20-38.56; p = 0.03) than others. An informal or primary school education increased the odds of having a poor practice of AMU by 15.1 folds (Crudes odds ratio = 15.1; 95% CI; 2.73-84.18; p = 0.002) than those with secondary or tertiary. The prevalence of E. coli and MDR E. coli at the LBM level were 80% and 56.3%, respectively. Extremely high resistance rates were observed for ceftazidime (96.9%) and imipenem (90.6%). The odds of MDR E. coli increased eight-fold in poultry kept by LBS who use AMs as prophylaxis. This current data could be useful for the development of targeted behavioral risk communication and mitigation strategies for AMR to impede the potential horizontal transfer of AMR genes to humans through animal-sourced food.

Use of computer decision support in an antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP)

OBJECTIVE

Document information needs, gaps within the current electronic applications and reports, and workflow interruptions requiring manual information searches that decreased the ability of our antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) at Intermountain Healthcare (IH) to prospectively audit and provide feedback to clinicians to improve antimicrobial use.

METHODS

A framework was used to provide access to patient information contained in the electronic medical record, the enterprise-wide data warehouse, the data-driven alert file and the enterprise-wide encounter file to generate alerts and reports via pagers, emails and through the Centers for Diseases and Control's National Healthcare Surveillance Network.

RESULTS

Four new applications were developed and used by ASPs at Intermountain Medical Center (IMC) and Primary Children's Hospital (PCH) based on the design and input from the pharmacists and infectious diseases physicians and the new Center for Diseases Control and Prevention/National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) antibiotic utilization specifications. Data from IMC and PCH now show a general decrease in the use of drugs initially targeted by the ASP at both facilities.

CONCLUSIONS

To be effective, ASPs need an enormous amount of "timely" information. Members of the ASP at IH report these new applications help them improve antibiotic use by allowing efficient, timely review and effective prioritization of patients receiving antimicrobials in order to optimize patient care.

Prescriber perceptions of a pediatric antimicrobial stewardship program

Antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) can help improve antimicrobial use in hospitals and, therefore, reduce resistance. Our hospital implemented an ASP in 2004, with interventions based on Infectious Diseases Society of America recommendations. We aimed to assess the perceived effectiveness of ASP interventions on antimicrobial prescribing behavior by surveying hospital-based providers at a pediatric tertiary care center. We surveyed providers via an online survey utilizing questions with a Likert scale response format. Our ASP was perceived to be useful in improving antimicrobial use and was well received by prescribers. Hospitals considering creation of an ASP can anticipate that these interventions may affect prescribing behaviors in positive ways.

Implementation and outcomes of an antimicrobial stewardship program: Effectiveness of education

BACKGROUND

Unnecessary use of antibiotics is a common occurrence in hospitals. Implementation of antibiotic stewardship programs (ASPs) has been shown to reduce both unnecessary antibiotic use and drug-resistant bacteria. Education is a fundamental component of an ASP. However, the effectiveness of proper uses of antibiotics education has not been clearly analyzed.

METHODS

In a 520-bed university hospital located in northeastern Taiwan, a significantly increasing prescription of carbapenems, specifically imipenem and meropenem, was observed. An educational program highlighting the judicious use of carbapenems was started, beginning in October 2013. A multidisciplinary ASP was implemented starting in January 2014. The consumption of antibiotics, measured by defined daily dose per 1000 occupied bed-days, was compared among the pre-educational, posteducational, and post-ASP periods.

RESULTS

Compared with the pre-educational period, there was a significant reduction in antibiotics consumption of 13% total inpatient antibiotics (p = 0.008), 29.8% carbapenems (p = 0.001), 34.9% imipenem and meropenem (p < 0.001), and 27% glycopeptides (p = 0.015), in the posteducational and post-ASP periods. The major reduction emerged during the posteducational period and was sustained after the ASP. The percentage of inpatients prescribed with antibiotics was significantly decreased (16.2%; p < 0.001). The rate of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii decreased from 70.8% to 29.6% within 7 months.

CONCLUSION

A focused educational program is effective in controlling the prescription of specific antibiotic classes in the early phase of a multidisciplinary ASP.

The Impact of the SARS-Cov2 Pandemic on a Persuasive Educational Antimicrobial Stewardship Program in a University Hospital in Southern Italy: A Pre-Post Study

OBJECTIVES

We evaluated the effect of the pandemic on the disruption of a persuasive educational antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) conducted in a university hospital in southern Italy.

METHODS

In March 2020, the ASP, which began in January 2017 and was carried out at different times in 10 wards, was stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted an observational study with interrupted time series analysis to compare the antibiotic consumption and costs, average length of hospital stay and in-hospital mortality between 12 months before and 9 months after the interruption.

RESULTS

Four medical, four surgical wards and two ICUs were included in the study, for a total of 35,921 patient days. Among the medical wards we observed after the interruption a significant increase in fluoroquinolone use, with a change in trend (CT) of 0.996, p = 0.027. In the surgical wards, we observed a significant increase in the overall consumption, with a change in level (CL) of 24.4, p = 0.005, and in the use of third and fourth generation cephalosporins (CL 4.7, p = 0.003). In two ICUs, we observed a significant increase in piperacillin/tazobactam and fluoroquinolone consumption (CT 9.28, p = 0.019, and 2.4, p = 0.047). In the wards with a duration of ASP less than 30 months, we observed a significant increase in antibiotic consumption in the use of piperacillin/tazobactam and fluoroquinolones (CT 12.9, p = 0.022: 4.12, p = 0.029; 1.004, p = 0.011).

CONCLUSIONS

The interruption of ASP during COVID-19 led to an increase in the consumption of broad-spectrum antibiotics, particularly in surgical wards and in those with a duration of ASP less than 30 months.

Impact of an Antimicrobial Stewardship Program on the Incidence of Carbapenem Resistant Gram-Negative Bacilli: An Interrupted Time-Series Analysis

Carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacilli (CR-GNB) are a critical public health threat, and carbapenem use contributes to their spread. Antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) have proven successful in reducing antimicrobial use. However, evidence on the impact of carbapenem resistance remains unclear. We evaluated the impact of a multifaceted ASP on carbapenem use and incidence of CR-GNB in a high-endemic hospital. An interrupted time-series analysis was conducted one year before and two years after starting the ASP to assess carbapenem consumption, CR-GNB incidence, death rates of sentinel events, and other variables potentially related to CR-GNB incidence. An intense reduction in carbapenem consumption occurred after starting the intervention and was sustained two years later (relative effect -83.51%; 95% CI -87.23 to -79.79). The incidence density of CR-GNB decreased by -0.915 cases per 1000 occupied bed days (95% CI -1.743 to -0.087). This effect was especially marked in CR-Klebsiella pneumoniae and CR-Escherichia coli, reversing the pre-intervention upward trend and leading to a relative reduction of -91.15% (95% CI -105.53 to -76.76) and -89.93% (95% CI -107.03 to -72.83), respectively, two years after starting the program. Death rates did not change. This ASP contributed to decreasing CR-GNB incidence through a sustained reduction in antibiotic use without increasing mortality rates.

Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs in Northwest China: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Perceptions, Involvement, and Perceived Barriers Among Hospital Pharmacists

Background: Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) is a key prevention strategy in addressing the global concern of increasing antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Pharmacists are one of the integral members of AMS hospital teams around the world. Toward reducing AMR, a major strategy in China is to improve the capacity and participation of pharmacists in the AMS framework. However, little is known about how hospital pharmacists perceive their position and participation in AMS work, and the barriers to this work in China, especially in the Northwest region. Methods: Region this work describes a cross-sectional, anonymous, online survey study. Hospital pharmacists from five provinces/autonomous regions in northwest China were invited to participate in June and July 2020. Participants completed the survey by using WeChat, a popular social application in China. We purposefully distributed the questionnaire link and QR code to hospital pharmacists through the hospital antimicrobial resistance surveillance network, hospital antimicrobial consumption surveillance network, provincial and city pharmaceutical associations, and hospital pharmacist WeChat groups. Results: Out of 1032 respondents, 93.1% believed that AMS programs promote the judicial prescribing of antimicrobials, 95.5% strongly agreed that AMS could reduce the widespread use of antimicrobials, and 92.3% believed that AMS could improve medical services. Pharmacists were most likely to be involved in AMS through reviewing prescriptions of antimicrobials, intervening in inappropriate prescriptions, and providing feedback on antimicrobial prescriptions and medical orders. Barriers to participating in AMS included workload (59.5% of respondents), ineffective communication between pharmacists and doctors (57.7%), and inadequate knowledge of AMS (47.0%). Differences in responses were found between the five surveyed provinces. A significant association was found between median involvement scores and gender, age, education, level of superiority, experience, and type of hospital (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Pharmacists perceived that AMS programs are important, but that their involvement in related activities is limited in all provinces. Further studies and strategies should consider how to overcome the identified barriers to optimize the participation of pharmacists in AMS programs.

Knowledge, attitude, and practices of community pharmacy staff toward antimicrobial stewardship programs: a cross-sectional study from Northeastern China

BACKGROUND

Antimicrobial resistance is one of the most significant challenges of the twenty-first century, and the illegal sale of antimicrobial drugs at community pharmacies is a driver of antimicrobial resistance. This study explores the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of pharmacy staff toward antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs).

METHODS

We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study among community pharmacy staff in Northeastern China, from April 1 to 31 May 2019, using a self-administered KAP questionnaire comprising 20 items. The data analysis was carried out by employing Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests.

RESULTS

A response rate of 98.5% (394/400) was obtained. The majority of participants (94.9%) demonstrated a good understanding of antimicrobial use, but they lacked an adequate understanding of ASPs. Nearly half of the participants (40.6%) reported that they sold antimicrobials to patients without a prescription. Education level, age, occupation, and experience were all significantly associated (P < 0.05) with participants' median ASPs scores. Besides, the presence of a licensed pharmacist (OR 46.327, 95% CI 2.443-878.451, P = 0.011) was the main factor associated with the pharmacy staff's understanding of antimicrobial use policies.

CONCLUSIONS

The participants' knowledge of antimicrobials was good, and their attitudes regarding ASPs were positive, but their practices regarding ASPs were poor.

Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs in Community Health Systems Perceived by Physicians and Pharmacists: A Qualitative Study with Gap Analysis

Antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) is one of the most important strategies for managing infectious disease treatment and preventing antimicrobial resistance. The successful implementation of ASP in the community health system (CHS) has been challenging. We evaluated perceptions of current ASP, potential setbacks of ASP implementation, and future demands on ASP services among physicians and pharmacists in the CHS. The qualitative research was conducted through in-depth individual interviews and focus group discussions with 11 physicians and 11 pharmacists. In addition, a quantitative gap analysis was conducted to assess the different awareness and demands on services of ASP and preferred antimicrobial-related problems (ARP). In overall, perceptions of ASP varied by profession. The identified setbacks were unorganized institutional leadership, the undefined roles of healthcare professionals, a lack of reimbursement, the hierarchical structure of the health system, and the labor-intensive working environment of pharmacy services. Although demands for ASP improvement were similar among professionals, they had different preferences in prioritizing each service item of ASP/ARP development and the profession responsible for each service. Continuous administrative and financial investments, understanding ASP contents, ASP-specific information technology, and interdisciplinary collaboration with good communication among healthcare professions are needed to continue the progression of ASP.

Four years after the implementation of antimicrobial stewardship program in Jordan: evaluation of program's core elements

Objectives

To combat antimicrobial resistance, the World Health Organization (WHO) urged healthcare organizations in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) to implement the core elements of the antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programs. In response, Jordan took action and developed a national antimicrobial resistance action plan (NAP) in 2017 and commenced the AMS program in all healthcare facilities. It is paramount to evaluate the efforts to implement the AMS programs and understand the challenges of implementing a sustainable and effective program, in Low-Middle Income Country (LMIC) contexts. Therefore, the aim of this study was to appraise the compliance of public hospitals in Jordan to the WHO core elements of effective AMS programs after 4 years of commencement.

Methods

A cross-sectional study in public hospitals in Jordan, using the WHO AMS program core elements for LMICs was carried out. The questionnaire comprised 30 questions that covered the program's six core elements: leadership commitment, accountability and responsibility, AMS actions, education and training, monitoring, and evaluation, and reporting and feedback. A five-point Likert scale was employed for each question.

Results

A total of 27 public hospitals participated, with a response rate of 84.4%. Adherence to core elements ranged from (53%) in the leadership commitment domain to (72%) for AMS procedure application (actions). Based on the mean score, there was no significant difference between hospitals according to location, size, and specialty. The most neglected core elements that emerged as top priority areas were the provision of financial support, collaboration, access, as well as monitoring and evaluation.

Conclusion

The current results revealed significant shortcomings in the AMS program in public hospitals despite 4 years of implementation and policy support. Most of the core elements of the AMS program were below average, which requires hospital leadership commitment, and multifaceted collaborative actions from the concerned stakeholders in Jordan.

Multilayer Model of Pharmacy Participation in the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program at a Large Academic Medical Center

Purpose: Leveraging pharmacy personnel resources for the purpose of antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) operations presents a challenging task. We describe our experience integrating all pharmacists into an ASP, and evaluate the impact on ASP interventions, antimicrobial utilization, rate of selected hospital-onset infections and readmission. Summary: During a study period (January 1 to December 31, 2015), a total of 14 552 ASP-related pharmacy interventions were performed (ASP clinical pharmacotherapy specialists [CPS] n = 4025; non-ASP CPS n = 4888; hospital pharmacists n = 5639). Sixty percent of interventions by ASP CPS were initiated utilizing the dedicated ASP phone, and 40% through prospective audit and feedback. Non-ASP CPS performed interventions during bedside rounds (dose adjustment 23%, initiate new or alternative anti-infective 21%, discontinue antibiotic(s) 12%, therapeutic drug monitoring 11%, de-escalation 4%), whereas hospital pharmacists participated at the point of verification (dose adjustment 75%, restricted antibiotic verification 15%, and reporting major drug-drug interactions 4%). The acceptance rate of interventions by providers and clinicians was >90% for all groups. Annual aggregate antimicrobial use decreased by 6.4 days of therapy/1000 patient-days (DOT/1000 PD; P = 1.0). Ceftriaxone use increased by 8.4 DOT/1000 PD (P = .029) without a significant compensatory increase in the use of antipseudomonal agents. Sustained low rates of hospital-onset Clostridium difficile (CDI) and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) infections were observed in 2015 compared with the prior year (1.1 and 1.2 cases/1000 PD, 0.2 and 0.1 cases/1000 PD, respectively). Thirty-day readmission rate decreased by 0.6% (P = .019). Conclusions: Integration of all pharmacists into ASP activities based on the level of patient care and responsibilities is an effective strategy to expand clinical services provided by ASP.

Antimicrobial Stewardship Interventions to Optimize Treatment of Infections in Nursing Home Residents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Effects of antibiotic stewardship program (ASP) interventions to optimize antibiotic use for infections in nursing home (NH) residents remain unclear. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess ASPs in NHs and their effects on antibiotic use, multi-drug-resistant organisms, antibiotic prescribing practices, and resident mortality. Following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis using five databases (1988-2020). Nineteen articles were included, 10 met the criteria for quantitative synthesis. Inappropriate antibiotic use decreased following ASP intervention in eight studies with a pooled decrease of 13.8% (95% confidence interval [CI]: [4.7, 23.0]; Cochran's Q = 166,837.8, p < .001, I² = 99.9%) across studies. Decrease in inappropriate antibiotic use was highest in studies that examined antibiotic use for urinary tract infection (UTI). Education and antibiotic stewardship algorithms for UTI were the most effective interventions. Evidence surrounding ASPs in NH is weak, with recommendations suited for UTIs.

Barriers to Adherence to Antimicrobial Stewardship Postprescription Review and Feedback For Broad-Spectrum Antimicrobial Agents: A Nested Case-Control Study

Background

Postprescription review and feedback (PPRF) is one of the most common strategies in antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) intervention. However, disagreements between the prescribers and ASP personnel can occur. The aim of the present study was to identify the factors associated with nonadherence to PPRF intervention.

Methods

The present retrospective nested case-control study was performed at a tertiary care center, which has been conducting a once-weekly PPRF for carbapenems and piperacillin/tazobactam since 2014. Nonadherence to ASP recommendations was defined as the failure of the primary care team to modify or stop antimicrobial therapy 72 hours after the issuance of PPRF recommendations. Factors associated with nonadherence to PPRF intervention were identified using multivariate logistic regression analysis.

Results

In total, 2466 instances of PPRF in 1714 cases between April 2014 and September 2019 were found. The nonadherence rate was 5.9%, and 44 cases were found in which carbapenems or piperacillin/tazobactam continued to be used against PPRF recommendations. Factors associated with nonadherence to PPRF recommendations were a previous history of hospitalization within 90 days (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.62; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.18-5.81) and a rapidly fatal McCabe score at the time of PPRF intervention (aOR, 2.87; 95% CI, 1.18-6.98). A review of the narrative comments in the electronic medical records indicated that common reasons for nonadherence were "the patient was sick" (n = 12; 27.3%) and "the antimicrobial seemed to be clinically effective" (n = 9; 20.5%).

Conclusions

Nonadherence to PPRF recommendations was relatively uncommon at the study institution. However, patients with a severe disease condition frequently continued to receive broad-spectrum antimicrobials against PPRF recommendations. Understanding physicians' cognitive process in nonadherence to ASP recommendations and ASP interventions targeting medical subspecialties caring for severely ill patients is needed to improve ASP.

Antimicrobial stewardship programs - cost-minimizing or cost-effective?

Antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) are aimed to improve patient care and health care outcomes. It is encouraging to find ASP interventions to be cost-saving in many cost-minimization analyses in literature. Nevertheless, the cost-effectiveness of ASP interventions, measured in cost per quality-adjusted life-years, is less well-established. This Editorial aims to explore the barriers in assessing clinical effectiveness of ASPs and provide suggestions to conduct cost-effectiveness analysis of ASPs.