Category: Federal Forum Posters
Purpose: Improper use of antimicrobial agents has been associated with increased morbidity, costs and the emergence of resistant bacteria. Stewardship programs are common in the inpatient setting; however, establishing stewardship programs in the outpatient setting is largely uncharted. The objective of this quality improvement/ quality assurance study will be to determine prescribing habits in community based outreach clinics (rural health areas) vs those patients treated in the main hospital campus. We aim to discover which infections are associated with inappropriate prescribing and the financial implications within the Western New York Veterans Affairs system to focus education efforts.
Methods: This quasi-experimental study has been approved by the Research and Development Committee. Patients will be both prospectively and retrospectively identified and information will be collected via the Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS). These prescriptions will be analyzed for antibiotic indication, dose, and duration in addition to patient-specific characteristics. A bivariate analysis will be conducted of factors potentially contributing to inappropriate antimicrobial use. A multivariate logistic regression will then be used to help identify significant risk factors for inappropriate prescribing. Clinic location where the patient was evaluated will be included as an outcome to determine the impact of locality on prescribing habits. Finally, a pharmacoeconomic analysis will be run to determine the financial impact of inappropriate prescribing.
Results: not applicable
Conclusion: not applicable
Alyssa Kiel
– Pharmacy Resident, VA WNY, East Amherst, NY109 Views