scholarly journals Antibiotic prescribing for residents in long-term-care facilities across the UK

2019 ◽  
Vol 74 (5) ◽  
pp. 1447-1451 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tracey Thornley ◽  
Diane Ashiru-Oredope ◽  
Andrew Normington ◽  
Elizabeth Beech ◽  
Philip Howard

Abstract Background Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major public health problem. Elderly residents in long-term-care facilities (LTCFs) are frequently prescribed antibiotics, particularly for urinary tract infections. Optimizing appropriate antibiotic use in this vulnerable population requires close collaboration between NHS healthcare providers and LTCF providers. Objectives Our aim was to identify and quantify antibiotic prescribing in elderly residents in UK LTCFs. This is part of a wider programme of work to understand opportunities for pharmacy teams in the community to support residents and carers. Methods This was a retrospective longitudinal cohort study. Data were extracted from a national pharmacy chain database of prescriptions dispensed for elderly residents in UK LTCFs over 12 months (November 2016–October 2017). Results Data were analysed for 341536 residents in LTCFs across the four UK nations, from which a total of 544796 antibiotic prescriptions were dispensed for 167002 residents. The proportion of residents prescribed at least one antibiotic over the 12 month period varied by LTCF, by month and by country. Conclusions Whilst national data sets on antibiotic prescribing are available for hospitals and primary care, this is the first report on antibiotic prescribing for LTCF residents across all four UK nations, and the largest reported data set in this setting. Half of LTCF residents were prescribed at least one antibiotic over the 12 months, suggesting that there is an opportunity to optimize antibiotic use in this vulnerable population to minimize the risk of AMR and treatment failure. Pharmacy teams are well placed to support prudent antibiotic prescribing and improved antimicrobial stewardship in this population.

2014 ◽  
Vol 155 (23) ◽  
pp. 911-917 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rita Szabó ◽  
Karolina Böröcz

Introduction: Healthcare associated infections and antimicrobial use are common among residents of long-term care facilities. Faced to the lack of standardized data, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control funded a project with the aim of estimating prevalence of infections and antibiotic use in European long-term care facilities. Aim: The aim of the authors was to present the results of the European survey which were obtained in Hungary. Method: In Hungary, 91 long-term care facilities with 11,823 residents participated in the point-prevalence survey in May, 2013. Results: The prevalence of infections was 2.1%. Skin and soft tissues infections were the most frequent (36%), followed by infections of the respiratory (30%) and urinary tract (21%). Antimicrobials were mostly prescribed for urinary tract infections (40.3%), respiratory tract infections (38.4%) and skin and soft tissue infections (13.2%). The most common antimicrobials (97.5%) belonged to the ATC J01 class of “antibacterials for systemic use”. Conclusions: The results emphasise the need for a national guideline and education for good practice in long-term care facilities. Orv. Hetil., 2014, 155(23), 911–917.


2000 ◽  
Vol 21 (10) ◽  
pp. 680-683 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Loeb

AbstractThe extensive use of antibiotics in long-term–care facilities has led to increasing concern about the potential for the development of antibiotic resistance. Relatively little is known, however, about the quantitative relation between antibiotic use and resistance in this population. A better understanding of the underlying factors that account for variance in antibiotic use, unexplained by detected infections, is needed. To optimize antibiotic use, evidence-based standards for empirical antibiotic prescribing need to be developed. Limitations in current diagnostic testing for infection in residents of long-term–care facilities pose a substantial challenge to developing such standards.


2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (46) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dora Stepan ◽  
Lea Ušaj ◽  
Marija Petek Šter ◽  
Marjetka Smolinger Galun ◽  
Hermina Smole ◽  
...  

Residents in long-term care are at high risk of infections because of their old age and many related health problems that lead to frequent antibiotic prescribing. The aim of the study was to assess antibiotic use in Slovenian long-term care facilities (LTCFs). The point-prevalence study was conducted between April and June 2016. Online questionnaires were sent to all Slovenian LTCFs. Eighty (68.4%) of the 117 LTCFs contacted, caring for 13,032 residents (70.6% of all Slovenian LTCF residents), responded to the survey. On the day of the study, the mean antibiotic prevalence per LTCF was 2.4% (95% confidence interval: 1.94–2.66). Most (70.2%) of the residents taking antibiotics were female. Most residents were being treated for respiratory tract (42.7%) or urinary tract (33.3%) infections. Co-amoxiclav and fluoroquinolones were the most frequently prescribed antibiotics (41.0% and 22.3% respectively). Microbiological tests were performed for 5.2% of residents receiving antibiotics. Forty nine (19.8%) residents receiving antibiotics were colonised with multidrug-resistant bacteria (MDR). Antibiotic use in Slovenian LTCFs is not very high, but most prescribed antibiotics are broad-spectrum. Together with low use of microbiological testing and high prevalence of colonisation with MDR bacteria the situation is worrisome and warrants the introduction of antimicrobial stewardship interventions.


Author(s):  
Naomi Fleming

This chapter focuses on stewardship in the primary care and long-term care settings. Antibiotic prescribing in the community accounts for 80% total antibiotic prescribing and approximately 75% of this is for acute respiratory tract infections, many of which are viral. There is also significant variation in prescribing practices that is not explained by differences in presenting patients. These factors suggest that antimicrobial stewardship programmes are necessary. This chapter identifies the components of stewardship that have been successful in influencing antibiotic prescribing in primary care and shares local experiences with practical examples. The lack of UK evidence about antimicrobial stewardship in long-term care facilities is discussed, along with successful interventions from overseas. Challenges within these settings are highlighted, including patient demand, lack of access to microbiological and diagnostic tools, competing targets, time pressures, and clinical uncertainty.


Geriatrics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 48
Author(s):  
Roger E. Thomas

The COVID-19 pandemic identifies the problems of preventing respiratory illnesses in seniors, especially frail multimorbidity seniors in nursing homes and Long-Term Care Facilities (LCTFs). Medline and Embase were searched for nursing homes, long-term care facilities, respiratory tract infections, disease transmission, infection control, mortality, systematic reviews and meta-analyses. For seniors, there is strong evidence to vaccinate against influenza, SARS-CoV-2 and pneumococcal disease, and evidence is awaited for effectiveness against COVID-19 variants and when to revaccinate. There is strong evidence to promptly introduce comprehensive infection control interventions in LCFTs: no admissions from inpatient wards with COVID-19 patients; quarantine and monitor new admissions in single-patient rooms; screen residents, staff and visitors daily for temperature and symptoms; and staff work in only one home. Depending on the vaccination situation and the current risk situation, visiting restrictions and meals in the residents’ own rooms may be necessary, and reduce crowding with individual patient rooms. Regional LTCF administrators should closely monitor and provide staff and PPE resources. The CDC COVID-19 tool measures 33 infection control indicators. Hand washing, social distancing, PPE (gowns, gloves, masks, eye protection), enhanced cleaning of rooms and high-touch surfaces need comprehensive implementation while awaiting more studies at low risk of bias. Individual ventilation with HEPA filters for all patient and common rooms and hallways is needed.


2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura W van Buul ◽  
Jenny T van der Steen ◽  
Sarah MMM Doncker ◽  
Wilco P Achterberg ◽  
François G Schellevis ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. S692-S693
Author(s):  
Philip Chung ◽  
Alex Neukirch ◽  
Rebecca J Ortmeier ◽  
Scott Bergman ◽  
Mark E Rupp ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The CDC recommends consultant pharmacists (CP) support antimicrobial stewardship (AS) activities in long-term care facilities (LTCF) by reviewing antimicrobial appropriateness. We initiated a project training CP from a regional long-term care pharmacy to support AS implementation in LTCF. Methods CP were trained to evaluate the appropriateness of all systemic antimicrobial therapy (AT) and provide prescriber feedback during their monthly drug regimen review (DRR). An electronic database was developed to facilitate data reporting. Antimicrobial use (AU) and adverse events (AE) from 32 LTCF were analyzed for 2018 using descriptive statistics. Results A total of 5327 courses of AT with a median duration of 7 days (IQR 5–10) were reviewed. The majority of AT was started in the LTCF (55%) but was also initiated in hospitals (24%), clinics (11%) and emergency departments (2%). Of 2926 AT started in LTCF, 36% were based on nurse evaluation (NE) while 33% began after prescriber evaluation (PE). Fluoroquinolones (FQ) and first-generation cephalosporins were the most commonly prescribed agents (Table 1). Treatment or prophylaxis of urinary tract infections accounted for 40% of AU (Figure 1). Diagnostic testing was associated with 37% of AT courses. Urine cultures were the most frequent test performed (81%). Overall, 41% of AT was determined to be inappropriate resulting in > 800 feedback letters sent to prescribers. Unnecessary antibiotic starts (based on revised Mc Geer or Loeb’s criteria) were identified as the most common reason (Figure 2). AT appropriateness varied depending on the setting in which it was initiated. A majority (87%) of AT initiated in hospitals was found to be appropriate with 56% and 46% appropriate for ED and clinic starts. Appropriateness of LTCF initiated AT was 49% (59% after PE and 42% after NE). AE were associated with 3% of AT with allergic reactions and Clostridioides difficile infections occurring with 0.4% and 0.7% of AT, respectively. AE were most frequently associated with folate antagonists (5%) and FQ (3%). Conclusion This study demonstrates many AU improvement opportunities exist in LTCF and CP can play an important role in identifying them if trained in AS principles. CP should review all AU for appropriateness and provide data to inform AS efforts in LTCF. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.


2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. S534-S534
Author(s):  
Sabeen Ali ◽  
Kimberly C Claeys

Abstract Background Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most common indications for antibiotic therapy. As antibiotic resistance continues to grow, it is critical to identify those at higher risk for drug-resistant (DR) UTIs to guide empiric therapy, improve clinical outcomes, and limit costs of care. The aim of this study was to identify risk factors for DR UTI and develop a risk scoring tool which could aid in empiric antibiotic prescribing. Methods Single-center retrospective pilot study of adult patients treated for UTI from August 1, 2015 to August 31, 2016. Patients who had asymptomatic bacteriuria, were pregnant within 4 months of admission, or had improperly collected urine cultures were excluded. DR was defined as phenotypic resistance to at least 1 agent in 3 or more antibiotic classes commonly used to treat UTIs. Risk factors for DR UTI were derived from previously published literature and multivariable logistic regression of individual patient data (IPD). Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) were developed by combining ORs from previous literature and IPD. A scoring tool was derived from weight-proportional integer-adjusted coefficients of the predictive model aORs. Results Risk factors were derived from 9 previously published studies and adapted using IPD (N = 77) and included: long-term care (aOR = 4.31), prior hospitalization (aOR = 1.8), previous antibiotics (aOR = 4.33), advanced age (aOR = 1.12), urinary catheterization (aOR = 2.2), immune suppression (aOR = 1.6), and male sex (aOR = 2.56). Previous DR UTI was forced into the model (OR = 1.1). Baseline incidence of DR UTI was 28.7%. A risk score from 1 to 20 was developed and applied to IPD and demonstrated an area under the receiver operator curve (AUROC) of 0.625 (95% CI 0.484–0.767). Removing sex from the score produced an AUROC of 0.64 (95% CI 0.497–783). A sensitivity analysis applying the score to only urinary isolates that exhibited resistance to third-generation cephalosporins (13.8%) produced similar results. Conclusion Residence in long-term care and previous antibiotics were among the risk factors most closely associated with DR UTI. Considering cumulative risk scores may be useful in predicting DR UTI however the current study was hindered by a large degree of heterogeneity in previous literature. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document