Impact of Education and an Antifungal Stewardship Program for Candidiasis at a Thai Tertiary Care Center

2010 ◽  
Vol 31 (7) ◽  
pp. 722-727 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anucha Apisarnthanarak ◽  
Apiwat Yatrasert ◽  
Linda M. Mundy ◽  

Background.We evaluated the impact of education and an antifungal stewardship program for candidiasis on prescribing practices, antifungal consumption, Candida species infections, and estimated costs at a Thai tertiary care hospital.Methods.A hospital-wide, quasi-experimental study was conducted for 1.5 years before the intervention and 1.5 years after the implementation of an antifungal stewardship program. Inpatient antifungal prescriptions were prospectively observed, and patients' demographic, clinical, and administrative-cost data were collected. Interventions included education, introduction of an antifungal hepatic and/or renal dose adjustment tool, antifungal prescription forms, and prescription-control strategies.Results.After the intervention, there was a 59% reduction in antifungal prescriptions (from 194 to 80 prescriptions per 1,000 hospitalizations; P < .001). Inappropriate antifungal use decreased (from 71% to 24%; P < .001), a sustained reduction in antifungal use was observed (r = 0.83; P < .001), and fluconazole use decreased (from 242 to 117 defined daily doses per 1,000 patient-days; P < .001). Reductions in the incidence of infection with Candida glabrata (r = 0.69; P < .001) and Candida krusei (r = 0.71; P < .001) were observed, whereas the incidence of infection with Candida albicans (r = —0.81; P < .001) increased. Total cost savings were US$31,615 during the 18-month postintervention period.Conclusions.Implementation of an antifungal stewardship program was associated with appropriate antifungal drug use, improved resource utilization, and cost savings.

Author(s):  
Emre Kara ◽  
Gokhan Metan ◽  
Aygin Bayraktar-Ekincioglu ◽  
Dolunay Gulmez ◽  
Sevtap Arikan-Akdagli ◽  
...  

Objectives: Antifungal stewardship (AFS) is recommended to reduce the inappropriate use of antifungal drugs. In this study, the role of AFS in providing appropriate antifungal therapy was evaluated. Methods: This study included three periods as observation, feedback/education, and daily AFS activities. In observation period, the use of systemic antifungals was evaluated for a baseline measurement of appropriateness. In second period, monthly meetings were organized to provide feedback and education to physicians regarding antifungal therapy and the rate of adherence to the clinical guidelines. In final period, a clinical pharmacist participated in daily ward rounds to evaluate appropriateness of the antifungal therapy. A scoring system for appropriateness was used for comparison between the three periods. Results: Four hundred and eighteen episodes of antifungal therapy were evaluated. Baseline demographics of patients were similar in all three periods for age, gender, and the number of comorbidities. The indications for antifungal use were for prophylaxis in 22.7%, Candida infections in 58.6%, and invasive mould infections in 18.7%. During the third period, 157 (78.9%) recommendations were made and 151 (96.2%) were accepted. The overall appropriateness of antifungal use increased significantly for prophylaxis (30.8%, 17.9%, 46.3%, p=0.046) and treatment of fungal diseases (27.8%, 32.4%, 71.9%, p<0.001) between the first, second and third periods, respectively. A 30-day mortality was not significantly changed between the three periods (19%, 15.6% and 27.5%; p=0.050). Conclusions: Appropriateness in antifungal therapy can be augmented by the integration of an AFS program. A team-based evaluation of fungal infections and assessment of patients by a clinical pharmacist with a therapeutic perspective may help to increase the quality of antifungal therapy.


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. s263-s264
Author(s):  
Jordan Polistico ◽  
Avnish Sandhu ◽  
Teena Chopra ◽  
Erin Goldman ◽  
Jennifer LeRose ◽  
...  

Background: Influenza causes a high burden of disease in the United States, with an estimate of 960,000 hospitalizations in the 2017–2018 flu season. Traditional flu diagnostic polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests have a longer (24 hours or more) turnaround time that may lead to an increase in unnecessary inpatient admissions during peak influenza season. A new point-of-care rapid PCR assays, Xpert Flu, is an FDA-approved PCR test that has a significant decrease in turnaround time (2 hours). The present study sought to understand the impact of implementing a new Xpert Flu test on the rate of inpatient admissions. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted to compare rates of inpatient admissions in patients tested with traditional flu PCR during the 2017–2018 flu season and the rapid flu PCR during the 2018–2019 flu season in a tertiary-care center in greater Detroit area. The center has 1 pediatric hospital (hospital A) and 3 adult hospitals (hospital B, C, D). Patients with influenza-like illness who presented to all 4 hospitals during 2 consecutive influenza seasons were analyzed. Results: In total, 20,923 patients were tested with either the rapid flu PCR or the traditional flu PCR. Among these, 14,124 patients (67.2%) were discharged from the emergency department and 6,844 (32.7%) were admitted. There was a significant decrease in inpatient admissions in the traditional flu PCR group compared to the rapid flu PCR group across all hospitals (49.56% vs 26.6% respectively; P < .001). As expected, a significant proportion of influenza testing was performed in the pediatric hospital, 10,513 (50.2%). A greater reduction (30% decrease in the rapid flu PCR group compared to the traditional flu PCR group) was observed in inpatient admissions in the pediatric hospital (Table 1) Conclusions: Rapid molecular influenza testing can significantly decrease inpatient admissions in a busy tertiary-care hospital, which can indirectly lead to improved patient quality with easy bed availability and less time spent in a private room with droplet precautions. Last but not the least, this testing method can certainly lead to lower healthcare costs.Funding: NoneDisclosures: None


2021 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 106255
Author(s):  
Antonios Markogiannakis ◽  
Konstantinos Korantanis ◽  
Maria N. Gamaletsou ◽  
Michael Samarkos ◽  
Mina Psichogiou ◽  
...  

Circulation ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (Suppl_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamshed Ali ◽  
Osman Faheem ◽  
Pirbhat Shams ◽  
ghufran adnan ◽  
Maria Khan

Introduction: Social containment measures have been adopted globally to control COVID-19 outbreak. Reduction in hospital visits and inpatient admission rates have become cause for concern. Through this study we aimed to analyze the impact of SARS-CoV-2 virus Outbreak on cardiology inpatient admissions at a tertiary care hospital in Pakistan. Hypothesis: COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in significant decline in cardiology admissions. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study at our center. Admission log was accessed via electronic record system. Comparison was made for same months of 2019 and 2020 with regard to cardiology inpatient admissions. Results: A total of 239 patients were admitted to cardiology services in 2019 period and 106 in 2020 period with resultant reduction of 55.6%. Number of patients admitted to the coronary care unit were 179 and 78 respectively where as the numbers declined to 28 from 60 for cardiac step down. Reduction for admission numbered to 52.4% for males and 38.89% for females. 9.3% patients left against medical advice in 2019 and 3.4% in 2020. Conclusions: Our study concludes that numbers of cardiology admissions have dwindled. Possible explanation for this can be implementation of social containment and fear of acquiring infection. This has raised a question of whether a significant number of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality has occurred without seeking medical attention and has went unrecorded during the pandemic. This calls for stringent diagnostic measures in future to diagnose previously unrecorded burden.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Md. Abdur Rafi ◽  
Md. Zahidus Sayeed ◽  
Papia Sultana ◽  
Saw Aik ◽  
Golam Hossain

Abstract Background: Delayed hospital presentation is a hindrance to the optimum clinical outcome of modern therapies of Myocardial infarction (MI). This study aimed to investigate the significant factors associated with prolonged pre-hospital delay and the impact of this delay on in-hospital mortality among patients with MI in Northern Bangladesh.Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted in December 2019 in cardiology ward of a 1000-bed tertiary care hospital of Bangladesh. Patients admitted in the ward with the diagnosis of myocardial infarction were included in the study. Socio demographic data, clinical features and patients’ health seeking behavior was collected in a structured questionnaire from the patients. Median with interquartile range (IQR) of pre hospital delay were calculated and compared between different groups. Chi-square (χ²) test and binary logistic regression were used to estimate the determinants of pre-hospital delay and effect of pre-hospital delay on in-hospital mortality.Results: 337 patients was enrolled in the study and their median (IQR) pre-hospital delay was 9.0 (13.0) hours. 39.5% patients admitted in the specialized hospital within 6 hours. In logistic regression, determinants of pre-hospital delay were patients age (for <40 years aOR 2.43, 95% CI 0.73-8.12; for 40 to 60 years aOR 0.44, 95% CI 0.21-0.93), family income (for lower income aOR 5.74, 95% CI 0.89-37.06; for middle income aOR 14.22, 95% CI 2.15-94.17), distance from primary care center £5 km (aOR 0.42, 95% CI 0.12-0.90), predominant chest pain (aOR 0.15, 95% CI 0.05-0.48), considering symptoms as non-significant (aOR 17.81, 95% CI 5.92-53.48), referral from primary care center (for government hospital aOR 4.45, 95% CI 2.03-9.74; for private hospital OR 98.67, 95% CI 11.87-820.34); (R2= 0.528) and not having family history of MI (aOR 2.65, 95% CI 1.24-5.71). Risk of in-hospital mortality was almost four times higher who admitted after 6 hours compared to their counterpart (aOR 0.28, 95% CI 0.12-0.66); (R2 =0.303).Conclusion: Some modifiable factors contribute to higher pre-hospital delay of MI patients, resulting in increased in-hospital mortality. Patients’ awareness about cardiovascular diseases and improved referral pathway of the existing health care system may reduce this unexpected delay.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Md. Abdur Rafi ◽  
Md. Zahidus Sayeed ◽  
Papia Sultana ◽  
Saw Aik ◽  
Golam Hossain

Abstract Background: Delayed hospital presentation is a hindrance to the optimum clinical outcome of modern therapies of Myocardial infarction (MI). This study aimed to investigate the significant factors associated with prolonged pre-hospital delay and the impact of this delay on in-hospital mortality among patients with MI in Northern Bangladesh.Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted in December 2019 in cardiology ward of a 1000-bed tertiary care hospital of Bangladesh. Patients admitted in the ward with the diagnosis of myocardial infarction were included in the study. Socio demographic data, clinical features and patients’ health seeking behavior was collected in a structured questionnaire from the patients. Median with interquartile range (IQR) of pre hospital delay were calculated and compared between different groups. Chi-square (χ²) test and binary logistic regression were used to estimate the determinants of pre-hospital delay and effect of pre-hospital delay on in-hospital mortality.Results: 337 patients was enrolled in the study and their median (IQR) pre-hospital delay was 9.0 (13.0) hours. 39.5% patients admitted in the specialized hospital within 6 hours. In logistic regression, determinants of pre-hospital delay were patients age (for <40 years aOR 2.43, 95% CI 0.73-8.12; for 40 to 60 years aOR 0.44, 95% CI 0.21-0.93), family income (for lower income aOR 5.74, 95% CI 0.89-37.06; for middle income aOR 14.22, 95% CI 2.15-94.17), distance from primary care center £5 km (aOR 0.42, 95% CI 0.12-0.90), predominant chest pain (aOR 0.15, 95% CI 0.05-0.48), considering symptoms as non-significant (aOR 17.81, 95% CI 5.92-53.48), referral from primary care center (for government hospital aOR 4.45, 95% CI 2.03-9.74; for private hospital OR 98.67, 95% CI 11.87-820.34); (R2= 0.528) and not having family history of MI (aOR 2.65, 95% CI 1.24-5.71). Risk of in-hospital mortality was almost four times higher who admitted after 6 hours compared to their counterpart (aOR 0.28, 95% CI 0.12-0.66); (R2 =0.303).Conclusion: Some modifiable factors contribute to higher pre-hospital delay of MI patients, resulting in increased in-hospital mortality. Patients’ awareness about cardiovascular diseases and improved referral pathway of the existing health care system may reduce this unexpected delay.


2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 0-10
Author(s):  
Wajima Safi ◽  
Mayada Elnegouly ◽  
Raphael Schellnegger ◽  
Katrin Umgelter ◽  
Fabian Geisler ◽  
...  

Introduction and aims: We aimed to explore the impact of infection diagnosed upon admission and of other clinical baseline parameters on mortality of cirrhotic patients with emergency admissions. Material and Methods: We performed a prospective observational monocentric study in a tertiary care center. The association of clinical parameters and established scoring systems with short-term mortality up to 90 days was assessed by univariate and multivariable Cox regression analysis. Akaike’s Information Criterion (AIC) was used for automated variable selection. Statistical interaction effects with infection were also taken into account. Results: 218 patients were included. 71.2% were male, mean age was 61.1 ± 10.5 years. Mean MELD score was 16.2 ± 6.5, CLIF-consortium Acute on Chronic Liver Failure-score was 34 ± 11. At 28, 90 and 365 days, 9.6%, 26,0% and 40.6% of patients had died, respectively. In multivariable analysis, respiratory organ failure (Hazard Ratio (HR) = 0.15), albumin substitution (HR = 2.48), non-HCC-malignancy (HR = 4.93), CLIF-C-ACLF (HR = 1.10), HCC (HR = 3.70) and first episode of ascites (HR = 0.11) were significantly associated with 90-day mortality. Patients with infection had a significantly higher 90-day mortality (36.3% vs 20.1%, p = 0.007). Cultures were positive in 32 patients with resistance to cephalosporins or quinolones in 10, to ampicillin/sulbactam in 14 and carbapenems in 6 patients. Conclusion: Infection is common in cirrhotic ED admissions and increases mortality. The proportion of resistant microorganisms is high. The predictive capacity of established scoring systems in this setting was low to moderate.


2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tsubasa Akazawa ◽  
Yoshiki Kusama ◽  
Haruhisa Fukuda ◽  
Kayoko Hayakawa ◽  
Satoshi Kutsuna ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective We implemented a stepwise antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP). This study evaluated the effect of each intervention and the overall economic impact on carbapenem (CAR) use. Method Carbapenem days of therapy (CAR-DOT) were calculated to assess the effect of each intervention, and antipseudomonal DOT were calculated to assess changes in use of broad-spectrum antibiotics. We carried out segmented regression analysis of studies with interrupted time series for 3 periods: Phase 1 (infectious disease [ID] consultation service only), Phase 2 (adding monitoring and e-mail feedback), and Phase 3 (adding postprescription review and feedback [PPRF] led by ID specialist doctors and pharmacists). We also estimated cost savings over the study period due to decreased CAR use. Results The median monthly CAR-DOT, per month per 100 patient-days, during Phase 1, Phase 2, and Phase 3 was 5.46, 3.69, and 2.78, respectively. The CAR-DOT decreased significantly immediately after the start of Phase 2, but a major decrease was not observed during this period. Although the immediate change was not apparent after Phase 3 started, CAR-DOT decreased significantly over this period. Furthermore, the monthly DOT of 3 alternative antipseudomonal agents also decreased significantly over the study period, but the incidence of antimicrobial resistance did not decrease. Cost savings over the study period, due to decreased CAR use, was estimated to be US $150 000. Conclusions Adding PPRF on the conventional ASP may accelerate antimicrobial stewardship. Our CAR stewardship program has had positive results, and implementation is ongoing.


Author(s):  
Manuel Ponce-Alonso ◽  
Javier Sáez de la Fuente ◽  
Angela Rincón-Carlavilla ◽  
Paloma Moreno-Nunez ◽  
Laura Martínez-García ◽  
...  

Abstract Objectives: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has induced a reinforcement of infection control measures in the hospital setting. Here, we assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the incidence of nosocomial Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI). Methods: We retrospectively compared the incidence density (cases per 10,000 patient days) of healthcare-facility–associated (HCFA) CDI in a tertiary-care hospital in Madrid, Spain, during the maximum incidence of COVID-19 (March 11 to May 11, 2020) with the same period of the previous year (control period). We also assessed the aggregate in-hospital antibiotic use (ie, defined daily doses [DDD] per 100 occupied bed days [BD]) and incidence density (ie, movements per 1,000 patient days) of patient mobility during both periods. Results: In total, 2,337 patients with reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction–confirmed COVID-19 were admitted to the hospital during the COVID-19 period. Also, 12 HCFA CDI cases were reported at this time (incidence density, 2.68 per 10,000 patient days), whereas 34 HCFA CDI cases were identified during the control period (incidence density, 8.54 per 10,000 patient days) (P = .000257). Antibiotic consumption was slightly higher during the COVID-19 period (89.73 DDD per 100 BD) than during the control period (79.16 DDD per 100 BD). The incidence density of patient movements was 587.61 per 1,000 patient days during the control period and was significantly lower during the COVID-19 period (300.86 per 1,000 patient days) (P < .0001). Conclusions: The observed reduction of ~70% in the incidence density of HCFA CDI in a context of no reduction in antibiotic use supports the importance of reducing nosocomial transmission by healthcare workers and asymptomatic colonized patients, reinforcing cleaning procedures and reducing patient mobility in the epidemiological control of CDI.


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