Determinants of Antibiotic Prescription in Outpatient Hospice: A Regional Observational Study

BackgroundPatients enrolling in hospice care are asked their preferences for antibiotic treatment. There is little information regarding which patients are more likely to receive antibiotics. To better inform discussions, we sought to characterize the use of antibiotics in the outpatient hospice setting.MethodsWe performed a retrospective review of patients enrolled in outpatient hospice within the Mayo Clinic Health System from 1/1/2017 through 1/1/2023. We calculated what percent of patients received antibiotics based on Hospice Qualifying Condition (HQC), age at enrollment, sex, survival time, and Charlson Comorbidity Index and calculated adjusted odds ratios (aOR). We documented which antibiotics were prescribed based on HQC.ResultsOf 6452 patients identified, 1259 (19.5%) received antibiotic prescriptions. Cephalosporins were the most common class of antibiotics prescribed (22.8% of antibiotics prescribed), followed by fluoroquinolones (20.3%) and penicillin derivatives (14.9%). Patients with Pulmonary HQCs were most likely to receive antibiotics (28.6% aOR 1.85 [1.51-2.25]), those with neurologic HQCs were least likely (14.9% aOR 0.66 [0.53-0.83]). There was no difference of age for those receiving antibiotics (80.7 yr) vs those not receiving (80.3 yr [P = 0.25]), or for sex (male vs female aOR 1.10 [0.96-1.26). 4.6% of those surviving <7d received antibiotics (aOR .22 [0.17-0.29]), compared to 47.7% of those surviving >6mo (aOR 4.46 [3.50-5.69]).Discussion19.5% of patients will receive antibiotics during their hospice course, with more frequent prescriptions in those surviving longer periods and those enrolled for pulmonary conditions. It is important to clarify patient preferences regarding antimicrobial utilization at the time of hospice enrollment.