Improving utilization of antimicrobial drugs among physician assistants in the ED

This study examines the effectiveness of an educational intervention that used audit and feedback to influence physician assistant (PA) antimicrobial utilization in an emergency department (ED).

Twelve ED PAs participated in this pre- and postintervention study. Their prescribing patterns were retrospectively reviewed and classified as appropriate, effective but inappropriate, or inappropriate using a previously developed methodology. A hospitalist physician conducted a 1-hour academic detailing intervention session with each PA that reviewed inappropriate prescribing practices and provided feedback for improvement based on current guidelines. After the meetings, the prescribing patterns of the providers were followed prospectively and comparisons were made between the proportions of antimicrobials prescribed appropriately and inappropriately before and after the intervention.

The percentage of appropriate prescriptions increased from 64% (95% CI, 58-72) to 81% (95% CI, 75-86), whereas the proportion of inappropriate prescriptions decreased from 36% (95% CI, 31-43) to 19% (95% CI, 14-23) across the study periods (both P < .001).

PA antimicrobial utilization was responsive to an academic detailing initiative that relied heavily on audit and feedback of past performance. Targeting PAs in quality improvement initiatives may be a highly effective way to influence change in health care utilization.