Use of leading practices in US hospital antimicrobial stewardship programs

Abstract

Objective: To determine the proportion of hospitals that implemented 6 leading practices in their antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs). Design: Cross-sectional observational survey. Setting: Acute-care hospitals. Participants: ASP leaders. Methods: Advance letters and electronic questionnaires were initiated February 2020. Primary outcomes were percentage of hospitals that (1) implemented facility-specific treatment guidelines (FSTG); (2) performed interactive prospective audit and feedback (PAF) either face-to-face or by telephone; (3) optimized diagnostic testing; (4) measured antibiotic utilization; (5) measured C. difficile infection (CDI); and (6) measured adherence to FSTGs. Results: Of 948 hospitals invited, 288 (30.4%) completed the questionnaire. Among them, 82 (28.5%) had <99 beds, 162 (56.3%) had 100-399 beds, and 44 (15.2%) had ≥400+ beds. Also, 230 (79.9%) were healthcare system members. Moreover, 161 hospitals (54.8%) reported implementing FSTGs; 214 (72.4%) performed interactive PAF; 105 (34.9%) implemented procedures to optimize diagnostic testing; 235 (79.8%) measured antibiotic utilization; 258 (88.2%) measured CDI; and 110 (37.1%) measured FSTG adherence. Small hospitals performed less interactive PAF (61.0%; P =.0018). Small and nonsystem hospitals were less likely to optimize diagnostic testing: 25.2% (P =.030) and 21.0% (P =.0077), respectively. Small hospitals were less likely to measure antibiotic utilization (67.8%; P =.0010) and CDI (80.3%; P =.0038). Nonsystem hospitals were less likely to implement FSTGs (34.3%; P