Can Antibiotic Stewardship Be Achieved by Utilizing the Stewardship Through Educating Patients (S.T.E.P.) Process?

BACKGROUND: Despite research and efforts to mitigate bacterial resistance, antibiotic overprescribing continues to occur, often due to real or perceived expectations of patients.  Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine: (1) if there's an association between the provider's patient education efforts and the patient's satisfaction, and (2) the research participant's subsequent behavior concerning antibiotic prescriptions, by utilizing the Stewardship Through Educating Patients (S.T.E.P.) process for positive prescriptive change. The S.T.E.P. program features straightforward, simple education via face-to-face counseling at patient encounters, along with presenting applicable printed educational pamphlets from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These two interventions were utilized in this study with research participants from the healthcare provider, with education focused on appropriate antibiotic use in the treatment of adults diagnosed with common illnesses such as an upper respiratory infection (the common cold), acute sinusitis, and acute bronchitis, which oftentimes are viral in origin. METHOD: This Quality Improvement (QI) interventional study utilized the researcher's direct face-to-face patient education and CDC printed materials as a measure of antibiotic prescribing as a primary outcome, with patient satisfaction as a secondary outcome via convenience sampling of 40 hospital employees who utilized a free hospital-based employee healthcare clinic. RESULTS: Patient-teaching by this study's researcher, along with supplemental printed patient education material from the CDC that were given to research participants during an initial medical encounter, were effective interventions used in reducing antibiotic prescribing, as evidenced by a positive patient satisfaction in 95% of research participants. CONCLUSIONS: Antibiotic use in the treatment of adults diagnosed with common illnesses such as an upper respiratory infection (the common cold), acute sinusitis, and acute bronchitis, may be safely reduced by using a combination of patient-education and clinician intervention.

Exploring antibiotic prescribing in public and private primary care settings in Singapore: a qualitative analysis informing theory and evidence-based planning for value-driven intervention design.

BACKGROUND: Singapore's healthcare system presents an ideal context to learn from diverse public and private operational models and funding systems. AIM: To explore processes underpinning decision-making for antibiotic prescribing, by considering doctors' experiences in different primary care settings. METHODS: Thirty semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 doctors working in publicly funded primary care clinics (polyclinics) and 13 general practitioners (GP) working in private practices (solo, small and large). Data were analysed using applied thematic analysis following realist principles, synthesised into a theoretical model, informing solutions to appropriate antibiotic prescribing. RESULTS: Given Singapore's lack of national guidelines for antibiotic prescribing in primary care, practices are currently non-standardised. Themes contributing to optimal prescribing related first and foremost to personal valuing of reduction in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) which was enabled further by organisational culture creating and sustaining such values, and if patients were convinced of these too. Building trusting patient-doctor relationships, supported by reasonable patient loads among other factors were consistently observed to allow shared decision-making enabling optimal prescribing. Transparency and applying data to inform practice was a minority theme, nevertheless underpinning all levels of optimal care delivery. These themes are synthesised into the VALUE model proposed for guiding interventions to improve antibiotic prescribing practices. These should aim to reinforce intrapersonal Values consistent with prioritising AMR reduction, and Aligning organisational culture to these by leveraging standardised guidelines and interpersonal intervention tools. Such interventions should account for the wider systemic constraints experienced in publicly funded high patient turnover institutions, or private clinics with transactional models of care. Thus, ultimately a focus on Liaison between patient and doctor is crucial. For instance, building in adequate consultation time and props as discussion aids, or quick turnover communication tools in time-constrained settings. Message consistency will ultimately improve trust, helping to enable shared decision-making. Lastly, Use of monitoring data to track and Evaluate antibiotic prescribing using meaningful indicators, that account for the role of shared decision-making can also be leveraged for change. CONCLUSIONS: These VALUE dimensions are recommended as potentially transferable to diverse contexts, and the model as implementation tool to be tested empirically and updated accordingly.

Antibiotic modification versus withhold in febrile patients without evidence of bacterial infection, unresponsive to initial empiric regimen: a multicentre retrospective study conducted in Israel.

Prescribing antibiotics for febrile patients without proof of bacterial infection contributes to antimicrobial resistance. Lack of clinical response in these patients often leads to antibiotic escalation, although data supporting this strategy are scarce. This study compared outcomes of modifying, withholding, or continuing the same antibiotic regimen for such patients. Febrile or hypothermic stable patients with suspected infection, unresponsive to empiric antibiotic treatment, admitted to one of 15 internal medicine departments in three hospitals during a 5-year study period, were included. Patients with a definitive clinical or microbiological bacterial infection, malignancy, immunodeficiency, altered mental status, or need for mechanical ventilation were excluded. Participants were divided into groups based on treatment strategy determined 72 h after antibiotic initiation: antibiotic modified, withheld or continued. Outcomes measured included in-hospital and 30-day post-discharge-mortality rates, length of hospital stay (LOS) and days of antimicrobial therapy (DOT). A total of 486 patients met the inclusion criteria: 124 in the Antibiotic modified group, 67 in the Antibiotic withheld group and 295 in the Initial antibiotic continued group. Patient characteristics were similar among groups with no differences in mortality rates in-hospital (23% vs. 25% vs. 20%, p = 0.58) and within 30 days after discharge (5% vs. 3% vs. 4%, p = 0.83). Changing antibiotics led to longer LOS (9.0 ± 6.8 vs. 6.2 ± 5.6 days, p = 0.003) and more DOT (8.6 ± 6.0 vs. 3.2 ± 1.0 days, p < 0.001) compared to withholding treatment. Withholding as compared to modifying antibiotics, in febrile patients with no clear evidence of bacterial infection, is a safe strategy associated with decreased LOS and DOT.

Defining appropriate antibiotic prescribing in primary care: A modified Delphi panel approach.

Background: Antimicrobial overuse contributes to antimicrobial resistance. In the ambulatory setting, where more than 90% of antibiotics are dispensed, there are no Canadian benchmarks for appropriate use. This study aims to define the expected appropriate outpatient antibiotic prescribing rates for three age groups (<2, 2-18, >18 years) using a modified Delphi method. Methods: We developed an online questionnaire to solicit from a multidisciplinary panel (community-academic family physicians, adult-paediatric infectious disease physicians, and antimicrobial stewardship pharmacists) what percentage of 23 common clinical conditions would appropriately be treated with systemic antibiotics followed with in-person meetings to achieve 100% consensus. Results: The panelists reached consensus for one condition online and 22 conditions face-to-face, which took an average of 2.6 rounds of discussion per condition (range, min-max 1-5). The consensus for appropriate systemic antibiotic prescribing rates were, for pneumonia, pyelonephritis, non-purulent skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI), other bacterial infections, and reproductive tract infections, 100%; urinary tract infections, 95%-100%; prostatitis, 95%; epididymo-orchitis, 85%-88%; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, 50%; purulent SSTI, 35%-50%; otitis media, 30%-40%; pharyngitis, 18%-40%; acute sinusitis, 18%-20%; chronic sinusitis, 14%; bronchitis, 5%-8%; gastroenteritis, 4%-5%; dental infections, 4%; eye infections, 1%; otitis externa, 0%-1%; and asthma, common cold, influenza, and other non-bacterial infections (0%). (Note that some differed by age group.). Conclusions: This study resulted in expert consensus for defined levels of appropriate antibiotic prescribing across a broad set of outpatient conditions. These results can be applied to community antimicrobial stewardship initiatives to investigate the level of inappropriate use and set targets to optimize antibiotic use.

Historique: La surutilisation d'antimicrobiens contribue à la résistance antimicrobienne. Il n'y a pas de normes canadiennes pour en établir l'utilisation appropriée en milieu ambulatoire, où plus de 90 % des antibiotiques sont prescrits. La présente étude vise à définir le taux de prescription approprié et anticipé d'antibiotiques en milieu ambulatoire dans trois groupes d'âge (moins de 2 ans, de 2 à 18 ans, plus de 18 ans) au moyen de la méthode Delphi modifiée. Méthodologie: Les auteurs ont préparé un questionnaire en ligne pour demander à un groupe multidisciplinaire (médecins de famille en milieu communautaire et universitaire, infectiologues pour adultes et pour enfants et pharmaciens en gestion des antimicrobiens) le pourcentage de 23 affections cliniques courantes qui serait traité correctement par des antibiotiques systémiques et l'ont fait suivre de rencontres en salle pour obtenir un consensus à 100 %. Résultats: Le groupe est parvenu à un consensus en ligne à l'égard d'une affection et à un consensus en salle à l'égard de 22 affections, ce qui a exigé une moyenne de 2,6 séries de discussions par affection (plage minimum-maximum de 1 à 5). Le consensus relatif aux taux de prescription appropriés d'antibiotiques systémiques était de 100 % pour la pneumonie, la pyélonéphrite, les infections non purulentes de la peau et des tissus mous, les autres infections bactériennes et les infections de l'appareil reproducteur; de 95 % à 100 % pour les infections urinaires; de 95 % pour la prostatite; de 85 % à 88 % pour l'épididymo-orchite; de 50 % pour la maladie pulmonaire obstructive chronique; de 35 % à 50 % pour les ITS purulentes; de 30 % à 40 % pour l'otite moyenne; de 18 % à 40 % pour la pharyngite; de 18 % à 20 % pour la sinusite aiguë; de 14 % pour la sinusite chronique; de 5 % à 8 % pour la bronchite; de 4 % à 5 % pour la gastroentérite; de 4 % pour les infections dentaires; de 1 % pour les infections oculaires; de 0 % à 1 % pour l'otite externe et de 0 % pour l'asthme, le rhume banal, la grippe et les autres infections non bactériennes. Il est à souligner que certains pourcentages différaient en fonction des groupes d'âge. Conclusions: La présente étude a suscité un consensus d'experts à l'égard de degrés définis de prescription appropriée d'antibiotiques pour un large éventail d'affections ambulatoires. Ces résultats peuvent être appliqués aux initiatives de gestion des antimicrobiens en milieu communautaire afin d'explorer le degré d'utilisation appropriée et de fixer des objectifs d'optimisation de l'utilisation d'antibiotiques.