Abstract:
Background: Shorter antibiotic courses and transition to oral therapy for uncomplicated gram-negative bloodstream infections (GN-BSI) are evidence-supported yet remain challenging to implement. Here we report our experience with a GN-BSI antimicrobial stewardship (AS) quality improvement initiative in a large health system.
Methods: We implemented two sequential AS interventions in adult patients hospitalized with uncomplicated GN-BSI: (1) mandatory AS review of patients discharging on intravenous (IV) antibiotics (“OPAT review”) and (2) a clinical guideline informing oral antibiotic transition and duration, in our 22-hospital system. We evaluated the initiative from January 2018 to September 2024. Pre- and postimplementation rates of (1) IV antibiotics at discharge and (2) total length of antibiotic therapy were calculated across the following periods: preintervention, after OPAT review, and after guideline implementation. Secondary outcomes included duration <10 days, oral antibiotic prescribing, and guideline-recommended dosing.
Results: 3,231 patients (preintervention: 666, postOPAT review: 1,357, postguideline: 1,208) were included. We observed decreases in IV antibiotics at discharge (22.7% preintervention, 10.7% postOPAT review, and 9.2% postguideline, p < 0.001) and median length of treatment (13.5 days preintervention to 10.7 days postguideline, p < 0.001). We also observed improvement in durations <10 days (19.1% vs 45%, p < 0.001), oral antibiotic prescriptions, and appropriate dosing (2.8% vs 33.5%, p < 0.001), but no difference in rates of BSI recurrence, mortality, or C. difficile infection.
Conclusion: After implementing GN-BSI-focused AS initiatives in our large health system, we observed a shift toward more frequent oral rather than IV antibiotics at discharge, and shorter overall antibiotic durations, without obvious changes in adverse outcomes.
Reference:Olson J, Hersh A, Veillette J, Waters CD, Webb BJ, Tinker N, May S, Matheu M, Fino N, Foster R, Hutton M, Stahl E, Rhodes J, Stenehjem E, Pavia A, Patel P, Seibert A, Buckel W. Interventions to optimize duration of antibiotic therapy and encourage oral transition for uncomplicated gram-negative blood stream infections across a health system. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2025 Nov 20:1-9. doi: 10.1017/ice.2025.10359. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41263023.