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Background Broad-spectrum antimicrobials, like carbapenems, are often initiated empirically and can be continued for long periods of time, which may increase rates of multi-drug resistant organisms. Antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASP) have been shown to decrease the duration of antimicrobial therapy. Since July 2017 at UTMB Health, meropenem use has been restricted to infectious diseases and intensive care unit (ICU) providers. This study evaluated the impact of an electronic medical record (EMR)-based ASP intervention on meropenem days of therapy (DOT) in patients transitioning from the ICU to the general floors. Methods Patients aged at least 18 years with an active medication order for meropenem upon transition from an ICU to a medical/surgical unit were included. Once transitioned, the active meropenem order appeared in the “review” column of the pharmacists’ queue. Pharmacists contacted the primary team, requested infectious diseases or ASP approval to continue therapy, and documented communication in the chart. Data for the pre- and post-intervention groups was collected retrospectively for the months of November 2017 to April 2018 and March 2020 to August 2020. The primary outcome of the study was meropenem DOT after transition from the ICU to the medical/surgical unit. Secondary outcomes of the study included meropenem total DOT, total number of meropenem doses after transfer to the medical unit, 30-day all-cause mortality, and 30-day readmission. Results A total of 163 patients were evaluated in both the pre-intervention (n = 87) and post-intervention groups (n = 76). Median meropenem DOT after transition of care (3 days vs. 2 days, P = 0.0004) and number of meropenem doses after transition (6 doses vs. 4 doses, P = 0.014) were significantly lower after TOC intervention implementation. However, total meropenem DOTs were not different at 5 days in both groups. Recommendations for de-escalation or discontinuation were accepted 60% of the time among providers. Conclusion An EMR-based ASP intervention did decrease meropenem DOT after patients were transitioned from the ICU to the medical/surgical floors. Results of the meropenem EMR-based ASP intervention may be used to expand to other broad-spectrum antimicrobials/antifungals in patients transitioning levels of care. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures |
