Characterization of antibiotic overuse for common infectious disease states at hospital discharge

To evaluate rates of and outcomes associated with antibiotic overuse at hospital discharge for patients with common infectious diseases states.

Single-center, respective cohort study.

A large, academic medical center in the Midwest United States.

Adult patients who received antibiotics for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), uncomplicated cystitis, or mild, non-purulent cellulitis. Patients were excluded if they did not receive antibiotic(s) upon hospital discharge, were pregnant, severely immunocompromised, had concomitant infections, died during hospitalization, or were transferred to another hospital or to an intensive care unit.

Data were abstracted from the electronic medical record of ambulatory antibiotic orders for included patients based on inpatient encounters from August 1, 2021 through July 31, 2022.

Of the 182 patients included in the study, antibiotic overuse was common for all three infectious disease states: CAP (n = 87/125, 69.6%), uncomplicated cystitis (n = 21/28, 75.0%), mild, non-purulent cellulitis (n = 28/29, 96.6%). The prevailing reason for overuse was excessive antibiotic duration (n = 127/182, 69.8%; mean antibiotic duration 5.39 vs. 8.32 days, p = 0.001). Antibiotic overuse was associated with approximately one additional day in the hospital (2.48 vs. 3.32 days, p = 0.001), and an increase in emergency department visits within 30 days after discharge (1 vs. 31, p = 0.001) compared to patients without antibiotic overuse at discharge.

Antibiotic overuse was prevalent upon hospital discharge for these three common infectious disease states. Transitions of care should be prioritized as an area for antimicrobial stewardship intervention.