Ann Infect Dis Epidemiol | Volume 2, Issue 2 | Research Article | Open Access
Advani Shreena Patel1*, Rab Saira1 and Kalokhe Ameeta2
1Department of Pharmacy and Drug Information, Grady Health System, USA
2Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, USA
*Correspondance to: Advani Shreena Patel
Fulltext PDFPurpose: Despite availability of consensus guidelines for management of urinary tract infections, variability in both diagnosis and treatment of urinary tract infections has been noted in the literature.
Methods: From October 1, 2013 to March 31, 2014 we conducted a three-phase pilot study to evaluate the efficacy of a pharmacist-driven educational intervention on improving rates of guideline-based management of urinary tract infections (UTIs) at Grady Health System (GHS), a large, urban teaching hospital. The primary outcome measured was the percentage of UTIs managed in compliance with GHS guidelines before and after pharmacist intervention; guideline-based diagnosis and treatment of UTIs served as a composite indicator of guideline compliant management Secondary outcomes included: percentage of UTIs in compliance with GHS guideline-based empiric antibiotic selection and treatment duration. Additionally, total cost savings associated with GHS guideline adherence was calculated.
Results: One hundred patients were analyzed for the retrospective phase of the study. Of these, 86% were managed in compliance with guidelines. One hundred patients were analyzed for the prospective phase of the study. Of these, 98% were managed in compliance with guidelines. Empiric antibiotic selection was in compliance with guidelines 66% of the time during the pre-intervention phase, compared to 95% during the post-intervention phase. Annual cost savings based on antibiotic use avoidance resulting from pharmacist intervention were calculated as $5,000 for a seven-day course of antibiotics.
Conclusion: Pilot findings suggest that a simple, pharmacist-driven educational intervention can impact adherence to hospital UTI management guidelines, and thus result in improved antibiotic stewardship and cost savings.
Patel AS, Saira R, Ameeta K. Assessing the Management of Urinary Tract Infections at a Large, Urban Teaching Hospital. Ann Infect Dis Epidemiol. 2017;2(2):1015.