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We conducted a post hoc analysis of an antibiotic stewardship intervention implemented across our health system’s urgent-care network to determine whether there was a differential impact among patient groups. Respiratory urgent-care antibiotic prescribing decreased for all racial, ethnic, and preferred language groups, but disparities in antibiotic prescribing persisted.

To determine the proportion of hospitals that implemented 6 leading practices in their antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs). Design: Cross-sectional observational survey. Acute-care hospitals. ASP leaders. Advance letters and electronic questionnaires were initiated February 2020. Primary outcomes were percentage of hospitals that (1) implemented facility-specific treatment guidelines (FSTG); (2) performed interactive prospective audit and feedback (PAF) either face-to-face or by telephone; (3) optimized diagnostic testing; (4) measured antibiotic utilization; (5) measured C. difficile infection (CDI); and (6) measured adherence to FSTGs. Of 948 hospitals invited, 288 (30.4%) completed the questionnaire. Among them, 82 (28.5%) had <99 beds, 162 (56.3%) had 100-399 beds, and 44 (15.2%) had ≥400+ beds. Also, 230 (79.9%) were healthcare system members. Moreover, 161 hospitals (54.8%) reported implementing FSTGs; 214 (72.4%) performed interactive PAF; 105 (34.9%) implemented procedures to optimize diagnostic testing; 235 (79.8%) measured antibiotic utilization; 258 (88.2%) measured CDI; and 110 (37.1%) measured FSTG adherence. Small hospitals performed less interactive PAF (61.0%; P = .0018). Small and nonsystem hospitals were less likely to optimize diagnostic testing: 25.2% (P = .030) and 21.0% (P = .0077), respectively. Small hospitals were less likely to measure antibiotic utilization (67.8%; P = .0010) and CDI (80.3%; P = .0038). Nonsystem hospitals were less likely to implement FSTGs (34.3%; P < .001). Significant variation exists in the adoption of ASP leading practices. A minority of hospitals have taken action to optimize diagnostic testing and measure adherence to FSTGs. Additional efforts are needed to expand adoption of leading practices across all acute-care hospitals with the greatest need in smaller hospitals.

To examine the perspectives of caregivers that are not part of the antibiotic stewardship program (ASP) leadership team (eg, physicians, nurses, and clinical pharmacists), but who interact with ASPs in their role as frontline healthcare workers. Qualitative semistructured interviews. The study was conducted in 2 large national healthcare systems including 7 hospitals in the Veterans' Health Administration and 4 hospitals in Intermountain Healthcare. We interviewed 157 participants. The current analysis includes 123 nonsteward clinicians: 47 physicians, 26 pharmacists, 29 nurses, and 21 hospital leaders. Interviewers utilized a semistructured interview guide based on the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR), which was tailored to the participant's role in the hospital as it related to ASPs. Qualitative analysis was conducted using a codebook based on the CFIR. We identified 4 primary perspectives regarding ASPs. (1) Non-ASP pharmacists considered antibiotic stewardship activities to be a high priority despite the added burden to work duties: (2) Nurses acknowledged limited understanding of ASP activities or involvement with these programs; (3) Physicians criticized ASPs for their restrictions on clinical autonomy and questioned the ability of antibiotic stewards to make recommendations without the full clinical picture; And (4) hospital leaders expressed support for ASPs and recognized the unique challenges faced by non-ASP clinical staff. Further understanding these differing perspectives of ASP implementation will inform possible ways to improve ASP implementation across clinical roles.

We examined the antibiotic prescribing rate for respiratory diagnoses (AXR) before and after onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in urgent care clinics. At the onset, AXR declined substantially due to changes in case mix. Using AXR as a stewardship metric requires monitoring of changes in case mix.

Abstract BackgroundTelehealth 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. MethodsThe 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. ResultsA 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. ConclusionsAn 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. An integrated infectious diseases (ID) telehealth service increased access to ID and stewardship expertise for 16 community hospitals, leading to improvements in antibiotic use. Additional studies are needed to determine the optimal ID telehealth consultation type and impact on outcomes.

Developing and improving an antimicrobial stewardship program successfully requires evaluation of numerous factors. As technology progresses and our understanding of antimicrobial resistance grows, careful consideration should be taken to ensure that a program meets the needs of the institution and is achievable given the available resources. In this review, we explore fundamental initiatives and strategies for both new and established antimicrobial stewardship programs, including the specific areas to target and key elements required for sustainable implementation.

Antibiotic utilization for respiratory conditions (AXR) is a new Healthcare Effectiveness Data & Information Set (HEDIS ) measure designed to complement disease-specific metrics to improve outpatient antibiotic prescribing. Unique challenges include ensuring clinicians understand the metric and establishing appropriate goals within different health systems and service lines. Successful implementation requires awareness of the metric's limitations and may be enhanced by co-reporting with condition-specific antibiotic use metrics to prioritize local interventions.

Abstract Background Community-acquired pneumonia is a well-studied condition; yet, in the urgent care setting, patient characteristics and adherence to guideline-recommended care are poorly described. Within Intermountain Health, a nonprofit integrated US health care system based in Utah, more patients present to urgent care clinics (UCCs) than emergency departments (EDs) for pneumonia care. Methods We performed a retrospective cohort study 1 January 2019 through 31 December 2020 in 28 UCCs within Utah. We extracted electronic health record data for patients aged ≥12 years with ICD-10 pneumonia diagnoses entered by the bedside clinician, excluding patients with preceding pneumonia within 30 days or missing vital signs. We compared UCC patients with radiographic pneumonia (n = 4689), without radiographic pneumonia (n = 1053), without chest imaging (n = 1472), and matched controls with acute cough/bronchitis (n = 15 972). Additional outcomes were 30-day mortality and the proportion of patients with ED visits or hospital admission within 7 days after the index encounter. Results UCC patients diagnosed with pneumonia and possible/likely radiographic pneumonia by radiologist report had a mean age of 40 years and 52% were female. Almost all patients with pneumonia (93%) were treated with antibiotics, including those without radiographic confirmation. Hospital admissions and ED visits within 7 days were more common in patients with radiographic pneumonia vs patients with “unlikely” radiographs (6% vs 2% and 10% vs 6%, respectively). Observed 30-day all-cause mortality was low (0.26%). Patients diagnosed without chest imaging presented similarly to matched patients with cough/acute bronchitis. Most patients admitted to the hospital the same day after the UCC visit (84%) had an interim ED encounter. Pneumonia severity scores (pneumonia severity index, electronic CURB-65, and shock index) overestimated patient need for hospitalization. Conclusions Most UCC patients with pneumonia were successfully treated as outpatients. Opportunities to improve care include clinical decision support for diagnosing pneumonia with radiographic confirmation and development of pneumonia severity scores tailored to the UCC. We describe a novel population of urgent care clinic patients diagnosed and treated for community-acquired pneumonia. Variability in the use of chest imaging among patients diagnosed with pneumonia reveals opportunities for improving clinical decision-making support and antibiotic stewardship. Existing tools for predicting pneumonia severity which are based on ED and inpatient data overestimated the need for hospital admission.

Purpose Given that vitamin D (25(OH)D) contributes to immune defense, we sought to determine if deficiency of 25(OH)D was significantly associated with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection. Methods All patients with 25(OH)D determinations at the Atlanta VAMC from 2007 to 2010 were included in the analyses. These patients were cross-referenced with a prospectively collected MRSA infection database at the AVAMC (2006–2010). Patients with one or more MRSA infections during the study period were considered MRSA-infected patients. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine the association between 25(OH)D status [deficient (<20 ng/mL) vs. non-deficient (≥20 ng/mL)] and MRSA infection. Results A total of 6405 patients with 25(OH)D determinations were included in the analyses, of which 401 (6.3 %) were MRSA-infected patients. Mean (SD) vitamin D levels, in ng/mL, were 21.1 (12.4) and 24.0 (12.6) for MRSA-infected patients and non-MRSA infected patients, respectively ( p  < 0.0001). The multivariate logistic regression model confirmed associations between MRSA infection and sex, race, BMI, HIV status, and 25(OH)D [odds ratio for 25(OH)D: 1.94; 95 % confidence interval: 1.51–2.49]. Conclusion MRSA-infected patients had significantly lower serum vitamin D levels than non-MRSA infected patients, even when controlling for potential confounding variables.

Efforts to improve antimicrobial prescribing are occurring within a changing healthcare landscape, which includes the expanded use of telehealth technology. The wider adoption of telehealth presents both challenges and opportunities for promoting antimicrobial stewardship. Telehealth provides 2 avenues for remote infectious disease (ID) specialists to improve inpatient antimicrobial prescribing: telehealth-supported antimicrobial stewardship and tele-ID consultations. Those 2 activities can work separately or synergistically. Studies on telehealth-supported antimicrobial stewardship have reported a reduction in inpatient antimicrobial prescribing, cost savings related to less antimicrobial use, a decrease in Clostridioides difficile infections, and improved antimicrobial susceptibility patterns for common organisms. Tele-ID consultation is associated with fewer hospital transfers, a shorter length of hospital stay, and decreased mortality. The implementation of these activities can be flexible depending on local needs and available resources, but several barriers may be encountered. Opportunities also exist to improve antimicrobial use in outpatient settings. Telehealth provides a more rapid mechanism for conducting outpatient ID consultations, and increasing use of telehealth for routine and urgent outpatient visits present new challenges for antimicrobial stewardship. In primary care, urgent care, and emergency care settings, unnecessary antimicrobial use for viral acute respiratory tract infections is common during telehealth encounters, as is the case for fact-to-face encounters. For some diagnoses, such as otitis media and pharyngitis, antimicrobials are further overprescribed via telehealth. Evidence is still lacking on the optimal stewardship strategies to improve antimicrobial prescribing during telehealth encounters in ambulatory care, but conventional outpatient stewardship strategies are likely transferable. Further work is warranted to fill this knowledge gap.