Effectiveness of a Computer-facilitated, Pharmacist-driven Antimicrobial Stewardship Program for Infection Management

Area of Science:

• Infectious Diseases
• Hospital Pharmacy
• Clinical Informatics

Background:

• Antimicrobial stewardship (AS) programs are crucial for effective hospital infection management.
• Routine implementation of AS programs necessitates efficient monitoring systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a customized computer system on the efficiency and effectiveness of a pharmacist-driven antimicrobial stewardship program.
• To assess changes in antibiotic usage patterns following the implementation of the computer support system.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of a pharmacist-driven AS program supported by a customized computer system for infection management.
• Daily monitoring of carbapenem and anti-methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus agent usage.
• Generation of a patient database to track antibiotic consumption and interventions.

Main Results:

• Patient database entry time significantly decreased from 24 to 12 minutes (p<0.01).
• Average number of monitored patients increased from 51 to 72 per month (p<0.01).
• Significant decrease in the usage of carbapenems and tazobactam/piperacillin observed (p<0.01).

Conclusions:

• Computer systems significantly enhance the efficiency of antimicrobial stewardship programs.
• Pharmacist utilization of computer systems promotes appropriate antibiotic use and improves patient monitoring.
• The study recommends integrating computer systems into AS programs for optimized outcomes.