Antimicrobial stewardship in hospitals: Expert recommendation guidance document for activities in specific populations, syndromes and other aspects (PROA-2) from SEIMC, SEFH, SEMPSPGS, SEMICYUC and SEIP.

In 2012, The Spanish Societies of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology (SEIMC), Hospital Pharmacy (SEFH), and Preventive Medicine, Public Health and Healthcare Management (SEMPSGS) lead a consensus document including recommendations for the implementation of antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programs (AMSP; PROA in Spanish) in acute care hospitals in Spain. While these recommendations were critical for the development of these programs in many centres, there is a need for guidance in the development of AMS activities for specific patient populations, syndromes or other specific aspects which were not included in the previous document or have developed significantly since then. The objective of this expert recommendation guidance document is to review the available information about these activities in these patient populations or circumstances, and to provide guidance recommendations about them. With this objective the SEIMC, SEFH, SEMPSPGS, the Spanish Society of Intensive Care Medicine (SEMICYUC) and the Spanish Pediatric Infectious Disease Society (SEIP) selected a panel of experts who chose the different aspects to include in the document. Because of the lack of high-level evidence in the implementation of the activities, the panel opted to perform a narrative review of the literature for the different topics for which recommendations were agreed by consensus. The document was open to public consultation for the members of these societies for their comments and suggestions, which were reviewed and considered by the panel.

Clinical inertia in diagnosis and treatment of hypertension in primary care: quantification and associated factors.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of the present study was to quantify both diagnostic and therapeutic inertia in hypertension and to identify patient-associated variables. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Cross-sectional, multicenter study of 35 424 subjects carried out in 428 health centers and/or primary care clinics in the Valencian Community, Spain, in a preventive activity conducted during 2003 and 2004. Diagnostic inertia was identified when a patient without known hypertension had high blood pressure (BP) but was labeled "normal" by the medical staff, and therapeutic inertia when treatment was not modified for a hypertensive patient on the presence of high BP values. Bivariate and multivariate statistical analyses were performed to identify patient's characteristics associated with inertia. RESULTS: Diagnostic inertia was present in 32.5% (95% CI 31.4-33.6) and therapeutic inertia in 37.0% (95% CI 35.6-38.5) of the cases. Both were more frequent in cases of isolated systolic or diastolic high BP. In the multivariate models, the factors associated with diagnostic inertia were type-2 diabetes (p=0.041), non-smoking (p=0.004), previous coronary heart disease (p=0.001), BP values (p<0.001) and body mass index (p=0.031), whereas for therapeutic inertia they were type-2 diabetes (p=0.003), previous coronary heart disease (p=0.016) or stroke (p<0.001) and BP values (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Clinical inertia, either diagnostic or therapeutic, was present in one of every three cases of high BP. The most frequent factors associated with clinical inertia were the presence of associated conditions, which requires lower BP goals and the BP values.

[Evaluation of a new infusion kit. A study of cases and controls]. / Evaluación de un nuevo equipo de infusión. Un estudio de casos y controles.

Since prevention and control of hospital-generated infections comprises one of the priorities in today's hospitals, the authors analyze how two infusion kits function; one kit is the classical version normally used in the hospital where this study took place and the other is a new kit which incorporates a security system. After carrying out a statistical and cost analysis, the authors conclude that the new perfusion system is cost effective, providing, among other factors, a savings of 62.083 Euro per hospitalized patient.

Are we really seeing the total costs of surgical site infections? A Spanish study.

To identify overall costs generated by surgical site infections (SSI) patients, including indirect costs. A prospective study of case series of patients who have undergone major surgical treatment was undertaken. Patients who suffered SSI were compared with controls (nested case-control design). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention definitions were followed and SSI established. Overall costs and indirect related morbidity/mortality costs were estimated. The study was performed in a general, tertiary hospital (Valencia, Spain) for 4.5 years. Surgical site infections patients were 9.02% of the total people who underwent surgery. Their stays were prolonging by 14 days, and resources were used more intensely and for longer periods than in controls. Excess hospital costs were $10,232 per patient of which 37% corresponded to prolonged stays. Health costs only accounted for 10% of overall costs; $97,433 per patient including indirect social costs. Studies merely assessing excess costs due to prolonged stays of SSI patients do not reflect the entire scenario as they simply represent 35% of real hospital costs. A comprehensive appraisal shows that total healthcare expenditures represent a tenth of overall costs, which strengthens the claims that investment in preventing SSI would be highly cost-effective.

Influence of social factors on avoidable mortality: a hospital-based case-control study.

OBJECTIVE: The effect of socioeconomic factors on avoidable mortality at an individual level is not well known, since most studies showing this association are based on aggregate data. The purpose of this study was to determine socioeconomic differences between those patients who die of avoidable causes and those who do not die. METHODS: A matched case-control study was carried out regarding in-hospital avoidable mortality (Holland's medical care indicators) that occurred in a university hospital serving a Spanish-Mediterranean population during a 30-month period. RESULTS: We studied 82 cases of death from avoidable causes and 300 controls matched on medical care indicators and age. The variables that showed a statistically significant association with in-hospital avoidable mortality were number of diagnoses (the greater the number, the higher the risk), length of stay (patients staying seven or more days presented a lower risk), and education. Those patients with low and middle educational levels showed a greater risk of avoidable mortality (adjusted odds ratio=3.57 and 2.82, respectively) than those patients with higher levels of education. CONCLUSIONS: Consistent with the findings of studies based on aggregate data, our case-control analyses indicated that among several socioeconomic variables studied, educational level was significantly associated with the risk of in-hospital avoidable mortality, regardless of age and medical care indicators. Patients with low levels of education (<6 years of schooling) were at highest risk for in-hospital avoidable mortality, followed by those with middle levels of education (7-10 years of schooling).