[Development and validation of potential structure indicators for clinical infectious disease (ID) care in German hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic]. / Entwicklung und Validierung potenzieller Strukturindikatoren zur Evaluierung des klinisch-infektiologischen Versorgungsangebots in deutschen Krankenhäusern während der COVID-19-Pandemie.

INTRODUCTION: This study describes the development and validation of structure indicators for clinical infectious disease (ID) care in German hospitals, which is important to adequately face the future challenges in ID medicine. METHODS: A team of experts developed the structure indicators in a three-stage, multicriteria decision-making process: (1) identification of potential structure indicators based on a literature review, (2) written assessment process, and (3) face-to-face discussion to reach consensus and final selection of appropriate structure indicators. A field study was conducted to assess the developed structure indicators. A score based on the structure indicators was determined for each hospital and validated via receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves using externally validated ID expertise (German Society of ID (DGI) Centre). RESULTS: Based on a list of 45 potential structure indicators, 18 suitable indicators were developed for clinical ID care structures in German hospitals. Out of these, ten key indicators were defined for the general and coronavirus disease 2019- (COVID-19-) specific clinical ID care structures. In the field survey of clinical ID care provision for COVID-19 patients in 40 German hospitals, the participating facilities achieved 0 to 9 points (median 4) in the determined score. The area under the ROC curve was 0.893 (95% CI: 0.797, 0.988; p < 0.001). DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: The structure indicators developed within the framework of a transparent and established development process can be used in the future to both capture the current state and future developments of ID care quality in Germany and enable comparisons.

All-cause mortality and disease progression in SARS-CoV-2-infected patients with or without antibiotic therapy: an analysis of the LEOSS cohort.

PURPOSE: Reported antibiotic use in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is far higher than the actual rate of reported bacterial co- and superinfection. A better understanding of antibiotic therapy in COVID-19 is necessary. METHODS: 6457 SARS-CoV-2-infected cases, documented from March 18, 2020, until February 16, 2021, in the LEOSS cohort were analyzed. As primary endpoint, the correlation between any antibiotic treatment and all-cause mortality/progression to the next more advanced phase of disease was calculated for adult patients in the complicated phase of disease and procalcitonin (PCT) ≤ 0.5 ng/ml. The analysis took the confounders gender, age, and comorbidities into account. RESULTS: Three thousand, six hundred twenty-seven cases matched all inclusion criteria for analyses. For the primary endpoint, antibiotic treatment was not correlated with lower all-cause mortality or progression to the next more advanced (critical) phase (n = 996) (both p > 0.05). For the secondary endpoints, patients in the uncomplicated phase (n = 1195), regardless of PCT level, had no lower all-cause mortality and did not progress less to the next more advanced (complicated) phase when treated with antibiotics (p > 0.05). Patients in the complicated phase with PCT > 0.5 ng/ml and antibiotic treatment (n = 286) had a significantly increased all-cause mortality (p = 0.029) but no significantly different probability of progression to the critical phase (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: In this cohort, antibiotics in SARS-CoV-2-infected patients were not associated with positive effects on all-cause mortality or disease progression. Additional studies are needed. Advice of local antibiotic stewardship- (ABS-) teams and local educational campaigns should be sought to improve rational antibiotic use in COVID-19 patients.