Improving Duration of Antibiotics for Skin and Soft-tissue Infections in Pediatric Urgent Cares.

Creator(s)

Megan Hamner, Children's Mercy Kansas City
Amanda Nedved, Children's Mercy HospitalFollow
Holly Austin, Children's Mercy HospitalFollow
Donna Wyly, Children's Mercy HospitalFollow
Alaina N. Burns, Children's Mercy Kansas CityFollow
Kathleen Berg, Children's Mercy HospitalFollow
Brian R. Lee, Children's Mercy HospitalFollow
Rana El Feghaly, Children's Mercy Kansas CityFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-1-2022

Identifier

DOI: 10.1542/peds.2022-057974

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: National guidelines recommend a 5- to 7-day course of antibiotics for most skin and soft-tissue infections (SSTIs). Our aim was to increase the percentage of pediatric patients receiving 5 to 7 days of oral antibiotics for SSTIs in our pediatric urgent care clinics (UCCs) from 60% to 75% by December 31, 2021.

METHODS: We performed cause-and-effect analysis and surveyed UCC providers to uncover reasons for hesitation with short antibiotic courses for SSTIs. Plan- Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle 1 provided an update on current guidelines for UCC providers and addressed providers' concerns. PDSA cycle 2 modified the electronic health record to display antimicrobial prescription sentences from shortest to longest duration. PDSA cycle 3 provided project outcome and balancing measure updates to UCC providers at regular intervals. We created a monthly report of patients 90 days and older in UCCs with a final diagnosis of SSTIs. We used a Shewhart control chart to identify special cause variations.

RESULTS: After completing our PDSA cycles, we found that the percentage of children receiving 5 to 7 days of oral antibiotics for SSTIs exceeded 85%. The improvement was sustained over multiple months. There was no increase in the proportion of patients returning to the UCCs with an SSTI diagnosis within 14 days.

CONCLUSIONS: By addressing primary drivers uncovered through quality improvement methodology, we shortened the antibiotic course for children seen in our UCCs with SSTIs. Outpatient antimicrobial stewardship programs may apply similar methods to other diagnoses to further improve duration of antibiotic prescriptions.

Journal Title

Pediatrics

Volume

150

Issue

6

MeSH Keywords

Humans; Child; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Soft Tissue Infections; Antimicrobial Stewardship; Ambulatory Care; Outpatients

Keywords

Anti-Bacterial Agents; Soft Tissue Infections; Antimicrobial Stewardship; Ambulatory Care; Outpatients

Recommended Citation

Hamner M, Nedved A, Austin H, et al. Improving Duration of Antibiotics for Skin and Soft-tissue Infections in Pediatric Urgent Cares. Pediatrics. 2022;150(6):e2022057974. doi:10.1542/peds.2022-057974