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Background Trends in prescribing for nursing home (NH) residents, which may have been influenced by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, have not been characterized. Methods Long-term care pharmacy data from 1944 US NHs were used to evaluate trends in prescribing of antibiotics and drugs that were investigated for COVID-19 treatment, including hydroxychloroquine, famotidine, and dexamethasone. To account for seasonal variability in antibiotic prescribing and decreased NH occupancy during the pandemic, monthly prevalence of residents with a prescription dispensed per 1000 residents serviced was calculated from January to October and compared as relative percent change from 2019 to 2020. Results In April 2020, prescribing was significantly higher in NHs for drugs investigated for COVID-19 treatment than 2019; including hydroxychloroquine (+563%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 5.87, 7.48) and azithromycin (+150%, 95% CI: 2.37, 2.63). Ceftriaxone prescribing also increased (+43%, 95% CI: 1.34, 1.54). Prescribing of dexamethasone was 36% lower in April (95% CI: .55, .73) and 303% higher in July (95% CI: 3.66, 4.45). Although azithromycin and ceftriaxone prescribing increased, total antibiotic prescribing among residents was lower from May (−5%, 95% CI: .94, .97) through October (−4%, 95% CI: .94, .97) in 2020 compared to 2019. Conclusions During the pandemic, large numbers of residents were prescribed drugs investigated for COVID-19 treatment, and an increase in prescribing of antibiotics commonly used for respiratory infections was observed. Prescribing of these drugs may increase the risk of adverse events, without providing clear benefits. Surveillance of NH prescribing practices is critical to evaluate concordance with guideline-recommended therapy and improve resident safety.

Background The objective of our study was to describe trends in US outpatient antibiotic prescriptions from January through May 2020 and compare with trends in previous years (2017–2019). Methods We used data from the IQVIA Total Patient Tracker to estimate the monthly number of patients dispensed antibiotic prescriptions from retail pharmacies from January 2017 through May 2020. We averaged estimates from 2017 through 2019 and defined expected seasonal change as the average percent change from January to May 2017–2019. We calculated percentage point and volume changes in the number of patients dispensed antibiotics from January to May 2020 exceeding expected seasonal changes. We also calculated average percent change in number of patients dispensed antibiotics per month in 2017–2019 versus 2020. Data were analyzed overall and by agent, class, patient age, state, and prescriber specialty. Results From January to May 2020, the number of patients dispensed antibiotic prescriptions decreased from 20.3 to 9.9 million, exceeding seasonally expected decreases by 33 percentage points and 6.6 million patients. The largest changes in 2017–2019 versus 2020 were observed in April (–39%) and May (–42%). The number of patients dispensed azithromycin increased from February to March 2020 then decreased. Overall, beyond-expected decreases were greatest among children (≤19 years) and agents used for respiratory infections, dentistry, and surgical prophylaxis. Conclusions From January 2020 to May 2020, the number of outpatients with antibiotic prescriptions decreased substantially more than would be expected because of seasonal trends alone, possibly related to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and associated mitigation measures.

Background The Core Elements of Outpatient Antibiotic Stewardship provide a framework to improve antibiotic use. We report the impact of core elements implementation within Veterans Health Administration sites. Methods In this quasiexperimental controlled study, effects of an intervention targeting antibiotic prescription for uncomplicated acute respiratory tract infections (ARIs) were assessed. Outcomes included per-visit antibiotic prescribing, treatment appropriateness, ARI revisits, hospitalization, and ARI diagnostic changes over a 3-year pre-implementation period and 1-year post-implementation period. Logistic regression adjusted for covariates (odds ratio [OR], 95% confidence interval [CI]) and a difference-in-differences analysis compared outcomes between intervention and control sites. Results From 2014–2019, there were 16 712 and 51 275 patient visits within 10 intervention and 40 control sites, respectively. Antibiotic prescribing rates pre- and post-implementation within intervention sites were 59.7% and 41.5%, compared to 73.5% and 67.2% within control sites, respectively (difference-in-differences, P < .001). Intervention site pre- and post-implementation OR to receive appropriate therapy increased (OR, 1.67; 95% CI, 1.31–2.14), which remained unchanged within control sites (OR,1.04; 95% CI, .91–1.19). ARI-related return visits post-implementation (–1.3% vs –2.0%; difference-in-differences P = .76) were not different, but all-cause hospitalization was lower within intervention sites (–0.5% vs –0.2%; difference-in-differences P = .02). The OR to diagnose non-specific ARI compared with non-ARI diagnoses increased post-implementation forintervention (OR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.21 –1.34) but not control (OR, 0.97; 95% CI, .94–1.01) sites. Conclusions Implementation of the core elements was associated with reduced antibiotic prescribing for RIs and a reduction in hospitalizations. Diagnostic coding changes were observed.

Our objective was to describe the duration of antibiotic therapy for the management of common outpatient conditions. The median duration of antibiotic courses for most common conditions, except for acute cystitis, was 10 days, in many cases exceeding guideline-recommended durations.

Background The Standardized Antimicrobial Administration Ratio (SAAR) is a risk-adjusted metric of antimicrobial use (AU) developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2015 as a tool for hospital antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) to track and compare AU with a national benchmark. In 2018, CDC updated the SAAR by expanding the locations and antimicrobial categories for which SAARs can be calculated and by modeling adult and pediatric locations separately. Methods We identified eligible patient-care locations and defined SAAR antimicrobial categories. Predictive models were developed for eligible adult and pediatric patient-care locations using negative binomial regression applied to nationally aggregated AU data from locations reporting ≥9 months of 2017 data to the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN). Results 2017 Baseline SAAR models were developed for 7 adult and 8 pediatric SAAR antimicrobial categories using data reported from 2156 adult and 170 pediatric locations across 457 hospitals. The inclusion of step-down units and general hematology-oncology units in adult 2017 baseline SAAR models and the addition of SAARs for narrow-spectrum B-lactam agents, antifungals predominantly used for invasive candidiasis, antibacterial agents posing the highest risk for Clostridioides difficile infection, and azithromycin (pediatrics only) expand the role SAARs can play in ASP efforts. Final risk-adjusted models are used to calculate predicted antimicrobial days, the denominator of the SAAR, for 40 SAAR types displayed in NHSN. Conclusions SAARs can be used as a metric to prompt investigation into potential overuse or underuse of antimicrobials and to evaluate the effectiveness of ASP interventions.

In 2016, 42% of nursing homes enrolled in the National Healthcare Safety Network reported meeting all 7 of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Core Elements of Antibiotic Stewardship. Bivariate analyses suggested that implementation of all core elements differed by ownership type and amount of infection prevention staff hours.

Background Previous studies suggest that duration of antibiotic therapy for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) often exceeds national recommendations and might represent an important opportunity to improve antibiotic stewardship nationally. Our objective was to determine the average length of antibiotic therapy (LOT) for patients treated for uncomplicated CAP in US hospitals and the proportion of patients with excessive durations. Methods Records of retrospective cohorts of patients aged 18-64 years with private insurance and aged ≥65 years with Medicare hospitalized for CAP in 2012-2013 were used. Inpatient LOT was estimated as a function of length of stay. Outpatient LOT was based on prescriptions filled post discharge based on data from outpatient pharmacy files. Excessive duration was defined as outpatient LOT >3 days. Results Inclusion criteria were met for 22128 patients aged 18-64 years across 2100 hospitals and 130746 patients aged ≥65 years across 3227 hospitals. Median total LOT was 9.5 days. LOT exceeded recommended duration for 74% of patients aged 18-64 years and 71% of patients aged ≥65 years. Patients aged 18-64 years had a median (quartile 1-quartile 3) 6 (3-7) days outpatient LOT and those aged ≥65 years had 5 (3-7) days. Conclusions In this nationwide sample of patients hospitalized for CAP, median total LOT was just under 10 days, with more than 70% of patients having likely excessive treatment duration. Better adherence to recommended CAP therapy duration by improving prescribing at hospital discharge may be an important target for antibiotic stewardship programs.

Antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) positively impact patient care, but metrics to assess ASP impact are poorly defined. We used a modified Delphi approach to select relevant metrics for assessing patient-level interventions in acute-care settings for the purposes of internal program decision making. An expert panel rated 90 candidate metrics on a 9-point Likert scale for association with 4 criteria: improved antimicrobial prescribing, improved patient care, utility in targeting stewardship efforts, and feasibility in hospitals with electronic health records. Experts further refined, added, or removed metrics during structured teleconferences and re-rated the retained metrics. Six metrics were rated >6 in all criteria: 2 measures of Clostridium difficile incidence, incidence of drug-resistant pathogens, days of therapy over admissions, days of therapy over patient days, and redundant therapy events. Fourteen metrics rated >6 in all criteria except feasibility were identified as targets for future development.

The Food and Drug Administration warned against fluoroquinolone use for conditions with effective alternative agents. An estimated 5.1% of adult ambulatory fluoroquinolone prescriptions were for conditions that did not require antibiotics, and 19.9% were for conditions where fluoroquinolones are not recommended first-line therapy. Unnecessary fluoroquinolone use should be reduced.

The epidemiology of Mycoplasma pneumoniae (Mp) among US children (18 years) hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is poorly understood.In the Etiology of Pneumonia in the Community study, we prospectively enrolled 2254 children hospitalized with radiographically confirmed pneumonia from January 2010-June 2012 and tested nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal swabs for Mp using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Clinical and epidemiological features of Mp PCR-positive and -negative children were compared using logistic regression. Macrolide susceptibility was assessed by genotyping isolates.One hundred and eighty two (8%) children were Mp PCR-positive (median age, 7 years); 12% required intensive care and 26% had pleural effusion. No in-hospital deaths occurred. Macrolide resistance was found in 4% (6/169) isolates. Of 178 (98%) Mp PCR-positive children tested for copathogens, 50 (28%) had ≥1 copathogen detected. Variables significantly associated with higher odds of Mp detection included age (10-17 years: adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 10.7 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 5.4-21.1] and 5-9 years: aOR, 6.4 [95% CI, 3.4-12.1] vs 2-4 years), outpatient antibiotics ≤5 days preadmission (aOR, 2.3 [95% CI, 1.5-3.5]), and copathogen detection (aOR, 2.1 [95% CI, 1.3-3.3]). Clinical characteristics were non-specific.Usually considered as a mild respiratory infection, Mp was the most commonly detected bacteria among children aged ≥5 years hospitalized with CAP, one-quarter of whom had codetections. Although associated with clinically nonspecific symptoms, there was a need for intensive care in some cases. Mycoplasma pneumoniae should be included in the differential diagnosis for school-aged children hospitalized with CAP.

Evidence-based guidelines for the diagnosis and initial management of suspected acute bacterial rhinosinusitis in adults and children were prepared by a multidisciplinary expert panel of the Infectious Diseases Society of America comprising clinicians and investigators representing internal medicine, pediatrics, emergency medicine, otolaryngology, public health, epidemiology, and adult and pediatric infectious disease specialties. Recommendations for diagnosis, laboratory investigation, and empiric antimicrobial and adjunctive therapy were developed.

Evidence-based guidelines for the diagnosis and initial management of suspected acute bacterial rhinosinusitis in adults and children were prepared by a multidisciplinary expert panel of the Infectious Diseases Society of America comprising clinicians and investigators representing internal medicine, pediatrics, emergency medicine, otolaryngology, public health, epidemiology, and adult and pediatric infectious disease specialties. Recommendations for diagnosis, laboratory investigation, and empiric antimicrobial and adjunctive therapy were developed.

Background. Streptococcus pneumoniae infections have become increasingly complicated and costly to treat with the spread of antibiotic resistance. We evaluated the relationship between antibiotic prescribing and nonsusceptibility among invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) isolates. Methods. Outpatient antibiotic prescription data for penicillins, cephalosporins, macrolides, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole were abstracted from the IMS Health Xponent database to calculate the annual number of prescriptions per capita. We analyzed IPD data from 7 of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Active Bacterial Core surveillance sites (population, 18.6 million) for which data were available for the entire time period under study (1996–2003). Logistic regression models were used to assess whether sites with high antibiotic prescribing rates had a high proportion of nonsusceptible and serotype 19A IPD. Results. Yearly prescribing rates during the period 1996–2003 for children ,5 years of age decreased by 37%, from 4.23 to 2.68 prescriptions per capita per year (P , .001), and those for persons $5 years of age decreased by 42%, from 0.98 to 0.57 prescriptions per capita per year (P , .001); increases in azithromycin prescribing were noted for both groups. Sites with high rates of antibiotic prescribing had a higher proportion of IPD nonsusceptibility than did low-prescribing sites (P 5 .003 for penicillin, P , .001 for every other antibiotic class). Cephalosporin and macrolide prescribing were associated with penicillin and multidrug nonsusceptibility and serotype 19A IPD (P , .001). Conclusions. In sites where antibiotic prescribing is high, the proportion of nonsusceptible IPD is also high, suggesting that local prescribing practices contribute to local resistance patterns. Cephalosporins and macrolides seem to be selecting for penicillin- and multidrug-resistant pneumococci, as well as serotype 19A IPD. Antibiotic use is a major factor contributing to the spread of antibiotic resistance; strategies to reduce antibiotic resistance should continue to include judicious use of antibiotics. Disease caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, the leading cause of severe bacterial respiratory illness and

In April 2009, following the first school closure due to 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) (pH1N1) in Chicago, Illinois, area hospitals were inundated with patients presenting with influenza-like illness (ILI). The extent of disease spread into the surrounding community was unclear. We performed a household survey to estimate the ILI attack rate among community residents and compared reported ILI with confirmed pH1N1 cases and ILI surveillance data (ie, hospital ILI visits, influenza testing, and school absenteeism). The estimated ILI attack rate was 4.6% (95% confidence interval, 2.8%-7.4%), with cases distributed throughout the 5-week study period. In contrast, 36 (84%) of 43 confirmed pH1N1 cases were identified the week of the school closure. Trends in surveillance data peaked during the same week and rapidly decreased to near baseline. Public awareness and health care practices impact standard ILI surveillance data. Community-based surveys are a valuable tool to help assess the burden of ILI in a community.