scholarly journals Implementation of an Infectious Diseases Telehealth Consultation and Antibiotic Stewardship Program for 16 Small Community Hospitals

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Todd J Vento ◽  
John J Veillette ◽  
Stephanie S Gelman ◽  
Angie Adams ◽  
Peter Jones ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Telehealth improves access to infectious diseases (ID) and antibiotic stewardship (AS) services in small community hospitals (SCHs), but the optimal model has not been defined. We describe implementation and impact of an integrated ID telehealth (IDt) service for 16 SCHs in the Intermountain Healthcare system. Methods The Intermountain IDt service included a 24-hour advice line, eConsults, telemedicine consultations (TCs), daily AS surveillance, long-term AS program (ASP) support by an IDt pharmacist, and a monthly telementoring webinar. We evaluated program measures from November 2016 through April 2018. Results A total of 2487 IDt physician interactions with SCHs were recorded: 859 phone calls (35% of interactions), 761 eConsults (30%), and 867 TCs (35%). Of 1628 eConsults and TCs, 1400 (86%) were SCH provider requests, while 228 (14%) were IDt pharmacist generated. Six SCHs accounted for >95% of interactions. Median consultation times for each initial telehealth interaction type were 5 (interquartile range [IQR], 5–10) minutes for phone calls, 20 (IQR, 15–25) minutes for eConsults, and 50 (IQR, 35–60) minutes for TCs. Thirty-two percent of consults led to in-person ID clinic follow-up. Bacteremia was the most common reason for consultation (764/2487 [31%]) and Staphylococcus aureus the most common organism identified. ASPs were established at 16 facilities. Daily AS surveillance led to 2229 SCH pharmacist and 1305 IDt pharmacist recommendations. Eight projects were completed with IDt pharmacist support, leading to significant reductions in meropenem, vancomycin, and fluoroquinolone use. Conclusions An integrated IDt model led to collaborative ID/ASP interventions and improvements in antibiotic use at 16 SCHs. These findings provide insight into clinical and logistical considerations for IDt program implementation.

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (suppl_1) ◽  
pp. S329-S329
Author(s):  
Todd J Vento ◽  
Stephanie S Gelman ◽  
John J Veillette ◽  
Mary A Adams ◽  
Katherine A Repko ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The majority of U.S. small community hospitals (SCHs) lack access to infectious diseases (ID) subspecialists. Telehealth can extend ID expertise to such facilities. We describe lessons learned from implementing a new IDt program for 16 SCHs in the Intermountain Healthcare system in Utah and Idaho. Methods From October 1, 2016 to April 30, 2017, we implemented an IDt service comprised of: a 24-hour ID physician advice line; an inpatient ID consult service that provided chart review and documentation (e-consults) and daytime telemedicine consultation (TC) using encrypted, HIPAA-compliant, synchronous, 2-way audio-video connection; and an ID pharmacist-led antibiotic stewardship program. The IDt service included a medical director, operations officer, ID pharmacist, analyst, and rotating ID physicians, and was implemented in a step-wise manner at 16 SCHs. IDt requests were received through a dedicated phone line with duplicate transcription to a monitored email inbox or generated from daily antibiotic stewardship rounds. Results The physician advice line was operational for all 16 SCHs on October 1, 2016. 312 advice-only calls were fielded (92 per 1000 hospital-days covered) through April 30, 2017. Common infections requiring phone advice included: bloodstream (16%), genitourinary (13%), and musculoskeletal (12%). E-consult and TC services were operational at 11 SCHs by April 30, 2017 (hospital-days covered: 1074). The IDt service completed 104 eConsults, 163 TCs, and 1198 stewardship reviews. Mean time [minutes (range)] spent per case was 16 (5–30) for eConsults and 55 (30–120) for TCs [on-camera time: 25 (12–46)]. Common infections requiring e-consult or TC were: bloodstream (45%), musculoskeletal (16%), and skin/soft tissue (11%). 22 patients (14%) seen by TC were surveyed: 100% felt the service improved their care and was necessary at their SCH. 97% of surveyed SCH staff felt the IDt service improved patient care and 90% felt it was a necessary service (32% response from 98 providers, nurses, pharmacists). Conclusion A new IDt service was well utilized and received by SCH staff and patients, with bloodstream infections being the most common reason for consultation. Future steps include evaluation of the IDt effect on clinical outcomes, financial metrics, and staff education on common ID conditions. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.


2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (7) ◽  
pp. 810-814 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brigid M. Wilson ◽  
Richard E. Banks ◽  
Christopher J. Crnich ◽  
Emma Ide ◽  
Roberto A. Viau ◽  
...  

AbstractStarting in 2016, we initiated a pilot tele-antibiotic stewardship program at 2 rural Veterans Affairs medical centers (VAMCs). Antibiotic days of therapy decreased significantly (P < .05) in the acute and long-term care units at both intervention sites, suggesting that tele-stewardship can effectively support antibiotic stewardship practices in rural VAMCs.


2016 ◽  
Vol 62 (10) ◽  
pp. 1197-1202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamar F. Barlam ◽  
Sara E. Cosgrove ◽  
Lilian M. Abbo ◽  
Conan MacDougall ◽  
Audrey N. Schuetz ◽  
...  

Abstract Evidence-based guidelines for implementation and measurement of antibiotic stewardship interventions in inpatient populations including long-term care were prepared by a multidisciplinary expert panel of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. The panel included clinicians and investigators representing internal medicine, emergency medicine, microbiology, critical care, surgery, epidemiology, pharmacy, and adult and pediatric infectious diseases specialties. These recommendations address the best approaches for antibiotic stewardship programs to influence the optimal use of antibiotics.


Antibiotics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 848
Author(s):  
Flavien Bouchet ◽  
Vincent Le Moing ◽  
Delphine Dirand ◽  
François Cros ◽  
Alexi Lienard ◽  
...  

Multiple modes of interventions are available when implementing an antibiotic stewardship program (ASP), however, their complementarity has not yet been assessed. In a 938-bed hospital, we sequentially implemented four combined modes of interventions over one year, centralized by one infectious diseases specialist (IDS): (1) on-request infectious diseases specialist consulting service (IDSCS), (2) participation in intensive care unit meetings, (3) IDS intervention triggered by microbiological laboratory meetings, and (4) IDS intervention triggered by pharmacist alert. We assessed the complementarity of the different cumulative actions through quantitative and qualitative analysis of all interventions traced in the electronic medical record. We observed a quantitative and qualitative complementarity between interventions directly correlating to a decrease in antibiotic use. Quantitatively, the number of interventions has doubled after implementation of IDS intervention triggered by pharmacist alert. Qualitatively, these kinds of interventions led mainly to de-escalation or stopping of antibiotic therapy (63%) as opposed to on-request IDSCS (32%). An overall decrease of 14.6% in antibiotic use was observed (p = 0.03). Progressive implementation of the different interventions showed a concrete complementarity of these actions. Combined actions in ASPs could lead to a significant decrease in antibiotic use, especially regarding critical antibiotic prescriptions, while being well accepted by prescribers.


2016 ◽  
Vol 62 (10) ◽  
pp. e51-e77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamar F. Barlam ◽  
Sara E. Cosgrove ◽  
Lilian M. Abbo ◽  
Conan MacDougall ◽  
Audrey N. Schuetz ◽  
...  

Abstract Evidence-based guidelines for implementation and measurement of antibiotic stewardship interventions in inpatient populations including long-term care were prepared by a multidisciplinary expert panel of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. The panel included clinicians and investigators representing internal medicine, emergency medicine, microbiology, critical care, surgery, epidemiology, pharmacy, and adult and pediatric infectious diseases specialties. These recommendations address the best approaches for antibiotic stewardship programs to influence the optimal use of antibiotics.


Author(s):  
Bongyoung Kim ◽  
◽  
Myung Jin Lee ◽  
Se Yoon Park ◽  
Song Mi Moon ◽  
...  

Abstract Background An effective antibiotic stewardship program relies on the measurement of appropriate antibiotic use, on which there is a lack of consensus. We aimed to develop a set of key quality indicators (QIs) for nationwide point surveillance in the Republic of Korea. Methods A systematic literature search of PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library (publications until 20th November 2019) was conducted. Potential key QIs were retrieved from the search and then evaluated by a multidisciplinary expert panel using a RAND-modified Delphi procedure comprising two online surveys and a face-to-face meeting. Results The 23 potential key QIs identified from 21 studies were submitted to 25 multidisciplinary expert panels, and 17 key QIs were retained, with a high level of agreement (13 QIs for inpatients, 7 for outpatients, and 3 for surgical prophylaxis). After adding up the importance score and applicability, six key QIs [6 QIs (Q 1–6) for inpatients and 3 (Q 1, 2, and 5) for outpatients] were selected. (1) Prescribe empirical antibiotic therapy according to guideline, (2) change empirical antibiotics to pathogen-directed therapy, (3) obtain culture samples from suspected infection sites, (4) obtain two blood cultures, (5) adapt antibiotic dosage to renal function, and (6) document antibiotic plan. In surgical prophylaxis, the QIs to prescribe antibiotics according to the guideline and initiate antibiotic therapy 1 h before incision were selected. Conclusions We identified key QIs to measure the appropriateness of antibiotic therapy to identify targets for improvement and to evaluate the effects of antibiotic stewardship intervention.


Antibiotics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 456
Author(s):  
Kittiya Jantarathaneewat ◽  
Anucha Apisarnthanarak ◽  
Wasithep Limvorapitak ◽  
David J. Weber ◽  
Preecha Montakantikul

The antibiotic stewardship program (ASP) is a necessary part of febrile neutropenia (FN) treatment. Pharmacist-driven ASP is one of the meaningful approaches to improve the appropriateness of antibiotic usage. Our study aimed to determine role of the pharmacist in ASPs for FN patients. We prospectively studied at Thammasat University Hospital between August 2019 and April 2020. Our primary outcome was to compare the appropriate use of target antibiotics between the pharmacist-driven ASP group and the control group. The results showed 90 FN events in 66 patients. The choice of an appropriate antibiotic was significantly higher in the pharmacist-driven ASP group than the control group (88.9% vs. 51.1%, p < 0.001). Furthermore, there was greater appropriateness of the dosage regimen chosen as empirical therapy in the pharmacist-driven ASP group than in the control group (97.8% vs. 88.7%, p = 0.049) and proper duration of target antibiotics in documentation therapy (91.1% vs. 75.6%, p = 0.039). The multivariate analysis showed a pharmacist-driven ASP and infectious diseases consultation had a favorable impact on 30-day infectious diseases-related mortality in chemotherapy-induced FN patients (OR 0.058, 95%CI:0.005–0.655, p = 0.021). Our study demonstrated that pharmacist-driven ASPs could be a great opportunity to improve antibiotic appropriateness in FN patients.


2021 ◽  
pp. 073346482110182
Author(s):  
Sainfer Aliyu ◽  
Jasmine L. Travers ◽  
S. Layla Heimlich ◽  
Joanne Ifill ◽  
Arlene Smaldone

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.


2019 ◽  
Vol 58 (11-12) ◽  
pp. 1166-1174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nalinee Aoybamroong ◽  
Worawit Kantamalee ◽  
Kunlawat Thadanipon ◽  
Chonnamet Techasaensiri ◽  
Kumthorn Malathum ◽  
...  

We assessed the effectiveness of an antibiotic stewardship program (ASP) on antibiotic prescriptions for acute respiratory tract infection (ARTI) in a medical school. Our ASP included delivering an antibiotic use guideline via e-mail and LINE (an instant messaging app) to faculty staff, fellows, and residents, and posting of the guideline in examination rooms. Medical records of pediatric patients diagnosed with ARTI were reviewed to assess the appropriateness of antibiotic prescription. ASP could increase the rate of appropriateness from 78% (1979 out of 2553 visits) to 83.4% (2449 out of 2935 visits; P < .001). The baseline of appropriateness was higher in residents (95%) compared with fellows (82%) and faculty staff (75%). The ASP significantly increased the appropriateness only in faculty staff, especially in semiprivate clinics (75% to 83%, P < .001). In conclusion, our ASP increased appropriateness of antibiotic prescriptions for ARTI, with the greatest impact among faculty staff in semiprivate clinics.


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