PDF icon PDF herunterladen
Open Access
CC BY 4.0 · Avicenna J Med 2024; 14(04): 210-215
DOI: 10.1055/s-0044-1801350
Original Article

Reduction of Antibiotic Prescription in Complicated Appendicitis through Behavioral Change Measures

Alberto A. Artiles Garcia
1   Department of Surgical, The Cuban Hospital, Dukhan, Doha, Qatar
,
Humberto Guanche Garcell 
2   Department of Infection Control, The Cuban Hospital, Dukhan, Doha, Qatar
,
Miguel J. Pinto Echevarría
1   Department of Surgical, The Cuban Hospital, Dukhan, Doha, Qatar
,
Carlos A. Sanchez Portela
1   Department of Surgical, The Cuban Hospital, Dukhan, Doha, Qatar
,
Carlos M. Sanchez Rivas
1   Department of Surgical, The Cuban Hospital, Dukhan, Doha, Qatar
,
Marlon Arias Medina
1   Department of Surgical, The Cuban Hospital, Dukhan, Doha, Qatar
,
Niuvis Seoane Perez
3   Depártment of Pharmacy, The Cuban Hospital, Dukhan, Doha, Qatar
,
Osiris I. Escobar More
1   Department of Surgical, The Cuban Hospital, Dukhan, Doha, Qatar
,
Tania M. Fernandez Hernandez
4   Depártment of Medical Administration, The Cuban Hospital, Dukhan, Doha, Qatar
› Institutsangaben
Funding None.
› Weitere Informationen
Auch verfügbar aufeRef
  Lizenzen und Reprints
Preview

Abstract

Background Variability in the prescription of antibiotics constitutes an area for improvement related to patient safety issues, including the risk of infection and health care efficiency based on evidence.

Objectives The study aims to evaluate the effect of an intervention to reduce the duration of antibiotic treatment in complicated appendicitis.

Methods A quality improvement program was implemented in the surgical department of The Cuban Hospital (Doha, Qatar). During a 3-month baseline period, data about antibiotic duration, consumption (daily defined doses), and cost (in Qatary Riyals) were identified, as well as during two plan-do-study-act (PDSA) intervention periods. Interventions include action focused on staff education, monitoring antibiotic use, feedback, and reminders during discharge planning.

Results At baseline, 13 patients with complicated appendicitis were documented, while there were 41 and 15 patients during PDSA cycles 1 and 2, respectively. A 29.5% reduction in days of antibiotic treatment was observed during the PDSA cycle 2 in comparison with the baseline. Accordingly, a reduction of 38.7% in the consumption of antibiotics and a reduction of 24.6% in cost were observed, with no adverse outcomes for patients during the 30-day follow-up period.

Conclusion The intervention resulted in an improvement in antibiotic use with satisfactory patient outcomes and an additional effect on the efficiency of health care and the prevention of microbial resistance and other adverse effects.

Keywords

appendicitis - complicated - antibiotics - intervention - cost - behavioral change

Ethical

The study was conducted as a facility quality improvement project presented and approved by Hamad Medical Corporation (Doha, Qatar). The project was documented in Life QI (ifeqisystem.com).


Authors' Contribution

H.G.G., A.A.A.G., and O.I.E.M. contributed to the study design and data acquisition.. H.G.G., A.A.A.G., M.J.P.E., C.A.S.P., C.M.S.R., M.A.M., N.S.P., O.I.E.M., and T.M.F.H performed the data analysis. H.G.G. and A.A.A.G. wrote the manuscript. M.J.P.E., C.A.S.P., C.M.S.R., M.A.M., N.S.P., O.I.E.M., and T.M.F.H. contributed to the critical review and major scientific input.




Publikationsverlauf

Artikel online veröffentlicht:
08. Januar 2025

© 2025. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Thieme Medical and Scientific Publishers Pvt. Ltd.
A-12, 2nd Floor, Sector 2, Noida-201301 UP, India