Cost of antimicrobial therapy across US children's hospitals

Rachael K Ross1, Adam L Hersh2, Matthew P Kronman3

  • 11Division of Infectious Diseases and Center for Pediatric Clinical Effectiveness,Children's Hospital of Philadelphia,Philadelphia,Pennsylvania.

Insights

Antimicrobial spending varies significantly in children's hospitals, with a few drugs driving most costs. Antimicrobial stewardship programs can optimize prescribing by focusing on high-value options.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Healthcare
  • Infectious Disease Management
  • Health Economics

Background:

  • Antimicrobial resistance necessitates careful prescribing.
  • Understanding prescribing costs is crucial for resource allocation in pediatric hospitals.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze the cost of antimicrobial prescribing in freestanding children's hospitals.
  • To identify patterns in antimicrobial expenditure across institutions and clinical conditions.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of antimicrobial prescribing costs.
  • Examination of expenditure data from children's hospitals.

Main Results:

  • A small number of specific antimicrobials constituted a large portion of total expenditures.
  • Significant variation in antimicrobial spending was observed among hospitals, even for similar clinical scenarios.

Conclusions:

  • Antimicrobial stewardship programs should leverage cost data to promote high-value prescribing.
  • Targeted interventions focusing on specific high-cost antimicrobials may reduce overall spending.

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