Impact of Hospitalist-Led Interdisciplinary Antimicrobial Stewardship Interventions at an Academic Medical Center.

BACKGROUND: Approximately 20%-50% of antimicrobial use in hospitals is inappropriate. Limited data exist on the effect of frontline provider engagement on antimicrobial stewardship outcomes. METHODS: A three-arm pre-post quality improvement study was conducted on three adult internal medicine teaching services at an urban academic hospital. Data from September through December 2016 were compared to historic data from corresponding months in 2015. Intervention arms were (1) Educational bundle (Ed-only); (2) Educational bundle plus antimicrobial stewardship rounds twice weekly with an infectious disease-trained clinical pharmacist (Ed+IDPharmDx2); and (3) Educational bundle plus internal medicine-trained clinical pharmacist embedded into daily attending rounds (Ed+IMPharmDx5). RESULTS: Total antibiotic use decreased by 16.8% (p < 0.001), 6.8% (p = 0.08), and 33.0% (p < 0.001) on Ed-only, Ed+IDPharmDx2, and Ed+IMPharmDx5 teams, respectively. Broad-spectrum antibiotic use decreased by 26.2% (p < 0.001), 7.8% (p = 0.09), and 32.4% (p < 0.001) on the Ed-only, Ed+IDPharmDx2, and Ed+IMPharmDx5 teams, respectively. Duration of inpatient antibiotic therapy decreased from 4 to 3 days on the Ed+IMPharmDx5 team (p = 0.01). Length of stay for patients who received any antibiotic decreased from 9 to 7 days on the Ed-only team (p < 0.001) and from 9 to 6 days on the Ed+IMPharmDx5 team (p < 0.001). There was no significant change in 30-day readmission to the same facility, transfer to ICU, or in-hospital mortality for any team. CONCLUSION: Multidisciplinary, frontline provider-driven approaches to antimicrobial stewardship may contribute to reduced antibiotic use and length of hospital stay.

What to expect that you're not expecting: A pilot video education intervention to improve patient self-efficacy surrounding discharge medication barriers.

The objective of this study was to test the feasibility of video discharge education to improve self-efficacy in dealing with medication barriers around hospital discharge. We conducted a single-arm intervention feasibility trial to evaluate the use of video education in participants who were being discharged home from the hospital. The scores of pre- and post-intervention self-efficacy involving medication barriers were measured. We also assessed knowledge retention, patient and nursing feedback, follow-up barrier assessments, and hospital revisits. A total of 40 patients participated in this study. Self-efficacy scores ranged from 5 to 25. Median pre- and post-intervention scores were 21.5 and 23.5, respectively. We observed a median increase of 2.0 points from before to after the intervention (p = 0.046). In total, 95 percent of participants reported knowledge retention and 90 percent found the intervention to be helpful. Video discharge education improved patient self-efficacy surrounding discharge medication challenges among general medicine inpatients. Patients and nurses reported satisfaction with the video discharge education.

Strategies to Prevent Readmission in High-Risk Patients with Diabetes: the Importance of an Interdisciplinary Approach.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Patients with diabetes are known to have higher 30-day readmission rates compared to the general inpatient population. A number of strategies have been shown to be effective in lowering readmission rates. RECENT FINDINGS: A review of the current literature revealed several strategies that have been associated with a decreased risk of readmission in high-risk patients with diabetes. These strategies include inpatient diabetes survival skills education and medication reconciliation prior to discharge to send the patient home with the "right" medications. Other key strategies include scheduling a follow-up phone call soon after discharge and an office visit to adjust the diabetes regimen. The authors identified the most successful strategies to reduce readmissions as well as some institutional barriers to following a transitional care program. Recent studies have identified risk factors in the diabetes population that are associated with an increased risk of readmission as well as interventions to lower this risk. A standardized transitional care program that focuses on providing interventions while reducing barriers to implementation can contribute to a decreased risk of readmission.

Decreased Rates of Inpatient Hypoglycemia Following Implementation of an Automated Tool in the Electronic Medical Record for Identifying Root Causes.

OBJECTIVE: The objective was to identify root causes of hypoglycemia on medicine inpatient units using an automated tool. Data collected will guide educational interventions aimed at improving patient care and safety by decreasing rates of hypoglycemia. METHODS: A survey was conducted among RNs to identify risk factors for hypoglycemia. Survey data were used to create a hypoglycemia root cause survey tool in the EMR. RNs were prompted to utilize the tool when blood glucose (BG) < 70 mg/dL. Once the most common modifiable cause of hypoglycemia was identified, an educational intervention for safe and effective use of insulin was launched. This strategy was designed to empower the care team to reduce the insulin dose when appropriate to prevent future hypoglycemic episodes. RESULTS: BG data were compared from March and April in 2016 and 2017. Rates of hypoglycemia (BG < 70 mg/dL) decreased from 2.3% to 1.5%; BG values in target range (70-180 mg/dL) increased from 59.4% to 65.7%; hyperglycemia (BG > 180 mg/dL) decreased from 38.3% to 32.8% (all P values < .001). The number of patients with recurrent hypoglycemia (3 or more episodes) decreased from 5.7% to 2.2% ( P = .044). CONCLUSIONS: The two most frequent modifiable causes of hypoglycemia (insulin and nutrition) were identified by an RN survey and confirmed by chart review. A targeted educational intervention addressing safe and effective insulin dosing resulted in a significant decrease in both hypoglycemia and recurrent hypoglycemia. This was associated with an improvement in overall glycemic control. Ongoing clinician education regarding insulin and nutrition accompanied by discussions between RNs and prescribers to address hypoglycemic events in real-time could continue to lower the rate of occurrence.