Presenter Status
Fellow
Abstract Type
QI
Primary Mentor
Rana E. El Feghaly MD, MSCI
Start Date
4-5-2022 12:00 PM
End Date
4-5-2022 12:15 PM
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Description
Problem Statement/Question: Although national guidelines recommend 5-7 days of oral antibiotics for most skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs), in 2019, CMH urgent care clinics (UCCs) prescribed > 7-day courses for 42% of patients diagnosed with SSTIs. Prolonged antibiotic courses result in increased patient burden, cost and adverse events which could be prevented by prescribing shorter courses.
Background/Project Intent (Aim Statement): To increase the percentage of patients receiving 5- 7 days of oral antibiotics for SSTIs from 58% to 75% by December 31st, 2021, in CMH UCCs.
Methods (include PDSA cycles): We formed a multidisciplinary team in April 2020. We completed cause-and-effect analyses and developed a driver diagram (Figure 1). Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle 1 provided an update on current guidelines for UCC providers. PDSA cycle 2 modified the electronic health record to display antimicrobial order 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 seen in UCCs with a final diagnosis of SSTIs including impetigo, abscesses, cellulitis, erysipelas, folliculitis, paronychia, and animal bites. Our outcome measure is the percentage of patients receiving 5-7 days of oral antibiotics for SSTIs. Process measure is the percentage of prescriptions selected from a folder. Balancing measure is the number of patients returning for SSTI within 14 days of their visit. Results are displayed using an annotated control chart.
Results: The percentage of patients receiving 5-7 days of oral antibiotics during the baseline period (June 2019-June 2020) was 58%. After group formation in April 2020, this increased to 68%, and consistently increased following PDSA cycles to a sustainable rate of >80% (Figure 2). A total of 1,971 UCC visits were included in the analysis. Process measure revealed less than 10% of providers utilize pre-created prescription folders. There was no change in balancing measure numbers.
Conclusions: Prior to our project, only 58% of children seen in CMH UCCs for SSTIs received the recommended antibiotic duration. By addressing primary drivers uncovered through QI methodology, we surpassed our goal of 75%. Additional PDSA cycles are planned along with expansion to other departments. This work will allow us to expand antibiotic stewardship efforts to other infectious diagnoses as well.
Additional Files
Improving Antibiotic Durations for Skin and Soft Tissue Infections in Pediatric Urgent Care Clinics.pdf (194 kB)Abstract
Driver Diagram.docx (27 kB)
Figure 1-Driver diagram
Annotated Control Chart Oct 2021.jpg (86 kB)
Figure 2-Annotated control chart
Included in
Improving Antibiotic Durations for Skin and Soft Tissue Infections in Pediatric Urgent Care Clinics
Problem Statement/Question: Although national guidelines recommend 5-7 days of oral antibiotics for most skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs), in 2019, CMH urgent care clinics (UCCs) prescribed > 7-day courses for 42% of patients diagnosed with SSTIs. Prolonged antibiotic courses result in increased patient burden, cost and adverse events which could be prevented by prescribing shorter courses.
Background/Project Intent (Aim Statement): To increase the percentage of patients receiving 5- 7 days of oral antibiotics for SSTIs from 58% to 75% by December 31st, 2021, in CMH UCCs.
Methods (include PDSA cycles): We formed a multidisciplinary team in April 2020. We completed cause-and-effect analyses and developed a driver diagram (Figure 1). Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle 1 provided an update on current guidelines for UCC providers. PDSA cycle 2 modified the electronic health record to display antimicrobial order 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 seen in UCCs with a final diagnosis of SSTIs including impetigo, abscesses, cellulitis, erysipelas, folliculitis, paronychia, and animal bites. Our outcome measure is the percentage of patients receiving 5-7 days of oral antibiotics for SSTIs. Process measure is the percentage of prescriptions selected from a folder. Balancing measure is the number of patients returning for SSTI within 14 days of their visit. Results are displayed using an annotated control chart.
Results: The percentage of patients receiving 5-7 days of oral antibiotics during the baseline period (June 2019-June 2020) was 58%. After group formation in April 2020, this increased to 68%, and consistently increased following PDSA cycles to a sustainable rate of >80% (Figure 2). A total of 1,971 UCC visits were included in the analysis. Process measure revealed less than 10% of providers utilize pre-created prescription folders. There was no change in balancing measure numbers.
Conclusions: Prior to our project, only 58% of children seen in CMH UCCs for SSTIs received the recommended antibiotic duration. By addressing primary drivers uncovered through QI methodology, we surpassed our goal of 75%. Additional PDSA cycles are planned along with expansion to other departments. This work will allow us to expand antibiotic stewardship efforts to other infectious diagnoses as well.
