[Antibiotic stewardship programs in the Spanish emergency services: PROA-URG Study].

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Infectious Diseases
• Clinical Pharmacy

Background:

• Antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASP) are crucial for optimizing antimicrobial use in healthcare systems.
• Information regarding ASP implementation and key performance indicators in emergency departments (EDs) is limited.
• This study addresses the gap in understanding ASP practices within EDs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the extent of ASP implementation in emergency departments.
• To evaluate the patterns of antimicrobial utilization in these specific units.
• To identify challenges and areas for improvement in ED-based ASP.

Main Methods:

• A multicenter retrospective study design was employed.
• A survey questionnaire comprising 21 items was distributed to emergency pharmacist working groups.
• Data were collected and analyzed from a team of specialists including pharmacists, emergency physicians, infectious disease specialists, and microbiologists.

Main Results:

• Eighteen hospitals participated, with 77.8% having dedicated ASP managers.
• Antimicrobial consumption, measured in DDD per 1000 admissions, showed significant variability (median: 100.4).
• Limited reporting on resistance profiles and variability in treatment adequacy for common infections were observed.

Conclusions:

• While ASP presence and educational activities are common in emergency services, comprehensive knowledge of antimicrobial use and resistance is lacking.
• There is a need to improve the availability and dissemination of information regarding ASP outcomes in emergency departments.
• Future initiatives should prioritize enhancing data transparency and actionable insights from ASP in ED settings.