Antimicrobial stewardship stabilizes resistance patterns in a behavioral health setting

Area of Science:

• Infectious Diseases
• Clinical Pharmacy
• Psychiatric Hospital Management

Background:

• E. coli antimicrobial resistance to quinolones increased significantly at Connecticut Valley Hospital, a tertiary care psychiatric facility.
• This rise in resistance posed a challenge to effective patient treatment within the inpatient psychiatric setting.

Purpose of the Study:

• To mitigate the escalating antimicrobial resistance of E. coli by optimizing quinolone utilization.
• To implement and assess the impact of an antimicrobial stewardship intervention focused on quinolone management.

Main Methods:

• Conducted targeted education for physicians, nurses, and pharmacists on appropriate antibiotic use, restrictions, and prior approval for quinolones.
• Monitored the effectiveness of the educational program and provided ongoing reinforcement for one year.

Main Results:

• Achieved a statistically significant decrease in quinolone prescribing rates across the hospital.
• Observed stabilization in the resistance patterns of E. coli to quinolones and other relevant antibiotics.

Conclusions:

• Antimicrobial stewardship is a highly effective strategy for managing antibiotic utilization in psychiatric hospital inpatient populations.
• Successful implementation of stewardship interventions can lead to the stabilization of antimicrobial resistance trends, specifically for E. coli.