scholarly journals Increased Return Clinic Visits for Adults with Group A Streptococcal Pharyngitis Treated with a Macrolide

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. s295-s296
Author(s):  
Suzette Rovelsky ◽  
Benjamin Pontefract ◽  
McKenna Nevers ◽  
Adam Hersh ◽  
Matthew Samore ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Index Date ◽  
Penicillin Allergy ◽  
Audit And Feedback ◽  
Urgent Care ◽  
Diagnostic Code ◽  
Feedback Intervention ◽  
Acute Pharyngitis ◽  
Return Visit ◽  
Group A ◽  
Return Visits

Background: A multicenter audit-and-feedback intervention was conducted to improve management of acute respiratory infections (ARIs) including group A streptococcal (GAS) pharyngitis within 6 VA medical Centers (VAMCs). A relative reduction (24.8%) in azithromycin prescribing after the intervention was observed. Within these facilities during 2015–2018, 2,266 cases of GAS occurred, and susceptibility to erythromycin ranged from 55% to 70%. We evaluated whether prescribing a macrolide for GAS pharyngitis was associated with an increase in outpatient return visits. Methods: A cohort of ambulatory adults treated for GAS pharyngitis (years 2014–2019) at 6 VAMCs was created. Demographic, diagnostic, treatment, and revisit data were extracted from the Corporate Data Warehouse. GAS pharyngitis was defined by an acute pharyngitis diagnostic code combined with a GAS-positive rapid strep test or throat culture ≤3 days of index date. Antibiotic prescriptions were included if filled ≤3 days of index date and were classified as first line (penicillin/amoxicillin), second line (cephalexin/clindamycin), macrolides (azithromycin, clarithromycin, erythromycin), or other (remaining antibiotics). A return visit was defined as a new visit to primary care, urgent care, or the emergency department with a diagnostic code for an ARI ≤30 days from the index visit. Logistic regression was used to adjust for nonantibiotic covariates and to compare treatments. Results are reported as odds ratio (OR ± 95% CI; P value). Results: Of 12,666 patients with a diagnostic code for acute pharyngitis, 2,923 (23.1%) had GAS testing performed. Of those, 582 (19.9%) were GAS-positive and 460 (15.7%) received antibiotics. The mean age was 39.0 years (±SD, 11.7) and 73.7% were male. Antibiotics included penicillins for 363 patients (78.9%), cephalosporins for 21 (4.6%), clindamycin for 32 (7.0%), macrolides for 47 (10.2%), and other for 17 (3.9%). Penicillin allergy was documented in 48 patients (10.5%), and these patients received cephalosporins (18.8%), clindamycin (35.4%), macrolides (41.7%), and other antibiotics (4.2%). Return visits occurred in 47 cases (10.4%). Limited chart review indicated that 6 of 10 macrolide recipients (60.0%) with return visits had recurrence or unresolved symptoms. After adjustment for calendar month and facility, odds of a return visit for treatment with a macrolide relative to penicillins was 2.79 (OR, 1.19; 95% CI, ±6.56; P = .02). The audit-feedback intervention was not associated with ARI-related return visits (OR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.26–1.06; P = .07). Conclusions: Return visit rates were higher for GAS pharyngitis patients treated with a macrolide than for those treated with penicillins. Macrolides were the most commonly prescribed non-penicillin therapy irrespective of penicillin allergy. Further work is necessary to determine the reason for the increase in return visits.Funding: NoneDisclosures: None

scholarly journals Accuracy of emergency physicians’ self-estimates of CT scan utilization and its potential effect on an audit and feedback intervention: a randomized trial

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Celine Larkin ◽  
Alexandra M. Sanseverino ◽  
James Joseph ◽  
Lauren Eisenhauer ◽  
Martin A. Reznek
Keyword(s):  
Randomized Trial ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Potential Effect ◽  
Audit And Feedback ◽  
Emergency Physicians ◽  
Feedback Intervention ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Actual Performance ◽  
Ct Utilization

Abstract Background Audit and feedback (A&F) has been used as a strategy to modify clinician behavior with moderate success. Although A&F is theorized to work by improving the accuracy of clinicians’ estimates of their own behavior, few interventions have included assessment of clinicians’ estimates at baseline to examine whether they account for intervention success or failure. We tested an A&F intervention to reduce computed tomography (CT) ordering by emergency physicians, while also examining the physicians’ baseline estimates of their own behavior compared to peers. Methods Our study was a prospective, multi-site, 20-month, randomized trial to examine the effect of an A&F intervention on CT ordering rates, overall and by test subtype. From the electronic health record, we obtained 12 months of baseline CT ordering per 100 patients treated for every physician from four emergency departments. Those who were randomized to receive A&F were shown a de-identified graph of the group’s baseline CT utilization, asked to estimate wherein the distribution of their own CT order practices fell, and then shown their actual performance. All participants also received a brief educational intervention. CT ordering rates were collected for all physicians for 6 months after the intervention. Pre-post ordering rates were compared using independent and repeated measures t tests. Results Fifty-one of 52 eligible physicians participated. The mean CT ordering rate increased significantly in both experimental conditions after the intervention (intervention pre = 35.7, post = 40.3, t = 4.13, p < 0.001; control pre = 33.9, post = 38.9, t = 3.94, p = 0.001), with no significant between-group difference observed at follow-up (t = 0.43, p = 0.67). Within the intervention group, physicians had poor accuracy in estimating their own ordering behavior at baseline: most overestimated and all guessed that they were in the upper half of the distribution of their peers. CT ordering increased regardless of self-estimate accuracy. Conclusions Our A&F intervention failed to reduce physician CT ordering: our feedback to the physicians showed most of them that they had overestimated their CT ordering behavior, and they were therefore unlikely to reduce it as a result. After “audit,” it may be prudent to assess baseline clinician awareness of behavior before moving toward a feedback intervention.

Antibiotic Prescribing in Adults Presenting with Pharyngitis Pre- and Post-Implementation of a Rapid Group A Streptococcus Test

2021 ◽  
pp. 001857872110323
Author(s):  
Preeyaporn Sarangarm ◽  
Timothy A. Huerena ◽  
Tatsuya Norii ◽  
Carla J. Walraven
Keyword(s):  
Group A Streptococcus ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Urgent Care ◽  
Antibiotic Prescribing ◽  
Care Clinic ◽  
Rapid Antigen Detection Test ◽  
Appropriate Prescribing ◽  
Icd 10 ◽  
Group A

Background: Group A Streptococcus (GAS) pharyngitis is the most common bacterial cause of acute pharyngitis and is often over treated with unnecessary antibiotics. The purpose was to evaluate if implementation of a rapid antigen detection test (RADT) for GAS would reduce the number of inappropriately prescribed antibiotics for adult patients presenting with symptoms of pharyngitis. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of adult urgent care clinic patients pre- and post-implementation of a GAS RADT. We included patients who had a diagnosis of GAS identified via ICD-10 codes and either a throat culture, GAS RADT, or antibiotic prescribed for GAS. Antibiotic prescribing was assessed as appropriate or inappropriate based on testing and IDSA guideline recommendations. Thirty-day follow-up visits related to pharyngitis or the prescribed antibiotics was also evaluated. Results: A total of 1734 patients were included; 912 and 822 in the pre- and post-implementation groups, respectively. Following implementation of the GAS RADT, there was an increase in the number of antibiotics prescribed for GAS (43.4% vs 59.1%, P < .001) as well as an increase in appropriate prescribing (67.6% vs 77.5%, P < .001). More 30-day pharyngitis-related follow-up visits were seen in the pre-intervention group (12.5% vs 9.3%, P = .03). Conclusion: Implementation of a RADT for GAS pharyngitis was associated with an increase in both the overall number of antibiotic prescriptions for GAS and the proportion of appropriately prescribed antibiotics. There was also a reduction in follow up visits related to GAS pharyngitis, however educational efforts to further increase appropriate prescribing is needed.

scholarly journals Development of an Electronic Algorithm to Identify Inappropriate Antibiotic Prescribing for Pediatric Pharyngitis

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. s188-s189
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Gerber ◽  
Robert Grundmeier ◽  
Keith Hamilton ◽  
Lauri Hicks ◽  
Melinda Neuhauser ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Predictive Value ◽  
Gold Standard ◽  
Antibiotic Stewardship ◽  
Chart Review ◽  
Antibiotic Use ◽  
Audit And Feedback ◽  
Urgent Care ◽  
Antibiotic Prescribing ◽  
Tract Infections ◽  
The Impact

Background: Antibiotic overuse contributes to antibiotic resistance and unnecessary adverse drug effects. Antibiotic stewardship interventions have primarily focused on acute-care settings. Most antibiotic use, however, occurs in outpatients with acute respiratory tract infections such as pharyngitis. The electronic health record (EHR) might provide an effective and efficient tool for outpatient antibiotic stewardship. We aimed to develop and validate an electronic algorithm to identify inappropriate antibiotic use for pediatric outpatients with pharyngitis. Methods: This study was conducted within the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) Care Network, including 31 pediatric primary care practices and 3 urgent care centers with a shared EHR serving >250,000 children. We used International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes to identify encounters for pharyngitis at any CHOP practice from March 15, 2017, to March 14, 2018, excluding those with concurrent infections (eg, otitis media, sinusitis), immunocompromising conditions, or other comorbidities that might influence the need for antibiotics. We randomly selected 450 features for detailed chart abstraction assessing patient demographics as well as practice and prescriber characteristics. Appropriateness of antibiotic use based on chart review served as the gold standard for evaluating the electronic algorithm. Criteria for appropriate use included streptococcal testing, use of penicillin or amoxicillin (absent β-lactam allergy), and a 10-day duration of therapy. Results: In 450 patients, the median age was 8.4 years (IQR, 5.5–9.0) and 54% were women. On chart review, 149 patients (33%) received an antibiotic, of whom 126 had a positive rapid strep result. Thus, based on chart review, 23 subjects (5%) diagnosed with pharyngitis received antibiotics inappropriately. Amoxicillin or penicillin was prescribed for 100 of the 126 children (79%) with a positive rapid strep test. Of the 126 children with a positive test, 114 (90%) received the correct antibiotic: amoxicillin, penicillin, or an appropriate alternative antibiotic due to b-lactam allergy. Duration of treatment was correct for all 126 children. Using the electronic algorithm, the proportion of inappropriate prescribing was 28 of 450 (6%). The test characteristics of the electronic algorithm (compared to gold standard chart review) for identification of inappropriate antibiotic prescribing were sensitivity (99%, 422 of 427); specificity (100%, 23 of 23); positive predictive value (82%, 23 of 28); and negative predictive value (100%, 422 of 422). Conclusions: For children with pharyngitis, an electronic algorithm for identification of inappropriate antibiotic prescribing is highly accurate. Future work should validate this approach in other settings and develop and evaluate the impact of an audit and feedback intervention based on this tool.Funding: NoneDisclosures: None

scholarly journals Positive Rate of Tests for Group a Streptococcus and Viral Features in Children with Acute Pharyngitis

Children ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
pp. 599
Author(s):  
Dasom Wi ◽  
Soo-Han Choi
Keyword(s):  
Laboratory Testing ◽  
Older Patients ◽  
Group A Streptococcus ◽  
Throat Culture ◽  
Acute Pharyngitis ◽  
Rapid Antigen Detection Test ◽  
Positive Rate ◽  
Group A ◽  
Centor Score ◽  
Low Prevalence

Group A streptococcus (GAS) is an important cause of acute pharyngitis. We investigated the positive rate of GAS tests and clinical viral features in children with acute pharyngitis. A retrospective review was conducted for patients <15 years old with both rapid antigen detection test (RADT) and throat culture results. Patients were excluded if they were diagnosed with influenza or had received antibiotics within two weeks before these tests. A total of 377 patients were eligible. The median age of patients was 3.5 years, and 45.4% of total patients were <3 years old. Among all patients, 68.7% had at least one viral feature, and 39% had more than two. The overall positiv rate for GAS was 11.4%. The GAS positive rate was significantly lower in patients <3 years old than in older patients (1.8% vs. 19.4%, p < 0.0001). The overall sensitivity and specificity of RADT were 75.0% (95% CI: 57.8–87.9) and 97.9% (95% CI: 95.8–99.2), respectively. The GAS positive rate was not significantly different between patients with and without viral features (12.4% vs. 9.3%, p = 0.4854). In patients aged 3–14 years, the GAS positive rate was not associated with the modified Centor score or the frequency of clinical viral features. Despite a low prevalence of GAS pharyngitis, testing for GAS was frequently performed in children <3 years old in this study. Appropriate use of laboratory testing for GAS pharyngitis and judicious prescription of antibiotics were imperative.

scholarly journals Notes from the Field: Group A Streptococcal Pharyngitis Misdiagnoses at a Rural Urgent-Care Clinic — Wyoming, March 2015

2016 ◽  
Vol 64 (50-51) ◽  
pp. 1383-1385 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexia Harrist ◽  
Clayton Van Houten ◽  
Stanford T. Shulman ◽  
Chris Van Beneden ◽  
Tracy Murphy
Keyword(s):  
Streptococcal Pharyngitis ◽  
Urgent Care ◽  
Care Clinic ◽  
Group A ◽  
Urgent Care Clinic

scholarly journals Leveraging Antimicrobial Stewardship in the Emergency Department to Improve the Quality of Urinary Tract Infection Management and Outcomes

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah C J Jorgensen ◽  
Samantha L Yeung ◽  
Mira Zurayk ◽  
Jill Terry ◽  
Maureen Dunn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Urinary Tract Infection ◽  
Urinary Tract ◽  
Tract Infection ◽  
Antimicrobial Stewardship ◽  
Treatment Algorithm ◽  
Rapid Change ◽  
Audit And Feedback ◽  
Prescribing Practices ◽  
Return Visits

Abstract Background The complex and fast-paced emergency department (ED) practice setting presents unique challenges that demand a tailored approach to antimicrobial stewardship. In this article, we describe the strategies applied by 1 institution’s antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) that were successful in improving prescribing practices and outcomes for urinary tract infection (UTI) in the ED. Methods Core strategies included pre-implementation research characterizing the patient population, antimicrobial resistance patterns, prescribing behavior, and morbidity related to infection; collaboration across multiple disciplines; development and implementation of a UTI treatment algorithm; education to increase awareness of the algorithm and the background and rationale supporting it; audit and feedback; and early evaluation of post-implementation outcomes. Results We observed a rapid change in prescribing post-implementation with increased empiric nitrofurantoin use and reduced cephalosporin use (P &lt; .05). Our elevation of nitrofurantoin to firstline status was supported by our post-implementation analysis showing that its use was independently associated with reduced 30-day return visits (adjusted odds ratio, 0.547; 95% confidence interval, 0.312–0.960). Furthermore, despite a shift to a higher risk population and a corresponding decrease in antimicrobial susceptibility rates post-implementation, the preferential use of nitrofurantoin did not result in higher bug-drug mismatches while 30-day return visits to the ED remained stable. Conclusions We demonstrate that an outcomes-based ASP can impart meaningful change to knowledge and attitudes affecting prescribing practices in the ED. The success of our program may be used by other institutions as support for ASP expansion to the ED.

ERYTHROMYCIN PROPIONATE AND POTASSIUM PENICILLIN V IN THE TREATMENT OF GROUP A STREPTOCOCCAL PHARYNGITIS

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1963 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-28
Author(s):  
Maxwell Stillerman ◽  
Stanley H. Bernstein ◽  
Martha Smith ◽  
Jack D. Gorvoy
Keyword(s):  
Relative Effectiveness ◽  
Streptococcal Pharyngitis ◽  
Group A Streptococci ◽  
Cure Rate ◽  
Acute Pharyngitis ◽  
Penicillin V ◽  
Daily Dose ◽  
Group A ◽  
Potassium Penicillin

The relative effectiveness of erythromycin propionate and K penicillin V in two dosage schedules was evaluated in the treatment of 261 cases of acute pharyngitis from which Group A hemolytic streptococci were recovered from December, 1958, to June, 1959. Erythromycin propionate, in a daily dose of 30 mg/kg up to 1.0 gm, and K penicillin V, in daily doses of 375 mg and 750 mg, were administered orally for 10 days. The adjusted bacterial cure rate was 78% among 86 patients treated with erythromycin, 72% among 102 patients treated with K penicillin V, 375 mg, and 88% among 73 patients treated with K penicillin V, 750 mg. The data indicate that K penicillin V was more effective in eradicating Group A streptococci from the pharynx in a daily dose of 750 mg than 375 mg, and suggest that erythromycin propionate in the dosage used, was less effective than K penicillin V, 750 mg, but equally as effective as K penicillin V, 375 mg daily. The incidence, time of occurrence, and results of retreatments of bacterial relapses are presented, and two possible causes of relapses are considered.

Reducing Unnecessary Respiratory Viral Testing to Promote High-Value Care

PEDIATRICS ◽  
2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olivia Ostrow ◽  
Deena Savlov ◽  
Susan E. Richardson ◽  
Jeremy N. Friedman
Keyword(s):  
Control Charts ◽  
Respiratory Infections ◽  
Audit And Feedback ◽  
Improvement Strategy ◽  
Statistical Process ◽  
Process Control Charts ◽  
Statistical Process Control Charts ◽  
Viral Testing ◽  
Return Visits ◽  
Viral Respiratory Infections

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Viral respiratory infections are common in children, and practice guidelines do not recommend routine testing for typical viral illnesses. Despite results often not impacting care, nasopharyngeal swabs for viral testing are frequently performed and are an uncomfortable procedure. The aim of this initiative was to decrease unnecessary respiratory viral testing (RVT) in the emergency department (ED) and the pediatric medicine wards (PMWs) by 50% and 25%, respectively, over 36 months. METHODS: An expert panel reviewed published guidelines and appropriate evidence to formulate an RVT pathway using plan-do-study-act cycles. A multifaceted improvement strategy was developed that included implementing 2 newer, more effective tests when testing was deemed necessary; electronic order modifications with force functions; audit and feedback; and education. By using statistical process control charts, the outcomes analyzed were the percentage of RVT ordered in the ED and the rate of RVT ordered on the PMWs. Balancing measures included return visits leading to admission and inpatient viral nosocomial outbreaks. RESULTS: The RVT rate decreased from a mean of 3.0% to 0.5% of ED visits and from 44.3 to 30.1 per 1000 patient days on the PMWs and was sustained throughout the study. Even when accounting for the new rapid influenza test available in the ED, a 50% decrease in overall ED RVT was still achieved without any significant impact on return visits leading to admission or inpatient nosocomial infections. CONCLUSIONS: Through implementation of a standardized, electronically integrated RVT pathway, a decrease in unnecessary RVT was successfully achieved. Audit and feedback, reminders, and biannual education all supported long-term sustainability of this initiative.

scholarly journals 4569 Burden of illness in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: A real-world cohort

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (s1) ◽  
pp. 24-24
Author(s):  
Erica Farrand ◽  
Harold Collard
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis ◽  
Pulmonary Fibrosis ◽  
Real World ◽  
Index Date ◽  
Skilled Nursing Facility ◽  
Diagnostic Code ◽  
Nursing Facility ◽  
Skilled Nursing ◽  
Outpatient Visits

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Studying IPF associated health care utilization (HRU) in real world settings, provides the opportunity to produce generalizable results that can directly inform models of care delivery. The objective of this study was to examine real-world differences in the natural history of annual HRU and treatment trends associated with IPF in a large, community-based population of patients with IPF, compared to matched non-IPF controls. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Cases of IPF were identified using case validated algorithms in the Kaiser Permanente Northern California adult population from 2000 to 2014. Each case was matched to at least one and no more than five non-IPF controls by age, sex, race/ethnicity and length of enrollment. The date of the first occurrence of the IPF-specific diagnostic code was considered the index date for cases and matched controls. Comorbidity burden and HRU was assessed in the five years pre- and post-index date, including hospitalizations, outpatient visits, use of diagnostic and monitoring studies and medications. Poisson generalized estimating equations models with robust standard errors were used to estimate adjusted case-control differences in HRU, accounting for clustering within matched sets. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: 691 patients were identified with incident IPF during the study period and matched to 3,452 control subjects. Demographics were well balanced between cases and controls due to matching. Patients with IPF had a higher burden of all selected co-morbidities and higher HRU compared to controls. In the pre-index period, IPF members had significantly higher rates of all diagnostic procedures (p < 0.001) and health care visits, with the exception of skilled nursing facility care (p < 0.001). The greatest relative difference was observed with use of Chest CT (RR = 245.94, 95% CI 117.04, 516.82). In the post-index period compared to controls, patients with IPF had higher rates of serial testing (p < 0.001) and inpatient and outpatient care including, all-cause hospitalization (1.55), emergency room visits (1.19), outpatient visits (1.18), and skilled nursing facility stay (1.35). DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: Patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis experience increased co-morbidity and healthcare resource utilization compared to controls. This increased burden extends beyond the index-period as previously documented and is true for a large real-world cohort. CONFLICT OF INTEREST DESCRIPTION: NA

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document