Proposed metrics to benchmark antibiotic prescribing in pediatric outpatient settings

Area of Science:

• Pediatric infectious disease
• Antimicrobial stewardship
• Health services research

Background:

• Antibiotic overuse in pediatric outpatient settings contributes to resistance and adverse events.
• Current methods for tracking pediatric antibiotic prescribing lack standardization and national comparability.
• Effective metrics are essential for monitoring and improving antibiotic utilization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and propose high-priority metrics for electronic reporting of outpatient pediatric antibiotic use.
• To facilitate national benchmarking and monitoring of pediatric antibiotic prescribing patterns.
• To support the development of targeted interventions for antimicrobial stewardship.

Main Methods:

• Review and evaluation of existing metrics for outpatient pediatric antibiotic prescribing.
• Assessment of the impact and feasibility of various proposed metrics.
• Selection of high-priority measures suitable for electronic reporting.

Main Results:

• Identification of key metrics for tracking pediatric outpatient antibiotic prescribing.
• Proposal of a streamlined set of measures for electronic reporting.
• Establishment of a foundation for national data collection and analysis.

Conclusions:

• Standardized metrics are vital for effective antimicrobial stewardship in pediatric outpatient care.
• Electronic reporting of select high-priority measures will enable national monitoring and improvement efforts.
• Implementation of these metrics can guide targeted interventions to optimize antibiotic use and mitigate risks.