98. Outcomes of Clinical Decision Support for Outpatient Management of Clostridioides difficile Infection

Abstract Background Our antimicrobial stewardship program identified high rates of suboptimal metronidazole prescribing for Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) within ambulatory clinics. An outpatient best practice advisory (BPA) was implemented to notify prescribers “Vancomycin or fidaxomicin are preferred over metronidazole for C.difficile infection” when metronidazole was prescribed to a patient with CDI. Methods We conducted an IRB approved quasi-experiment before and after implementation of the BPA on June 3, 2020. Inclusion: Adult patients diagnosed with and treated for a first episode of symptomatic CDI at an ambulatory clinic between 11/1/2019 and 11/30/2020. Exclusion: fulminant CDI. Primary endpoint: guideline-concordant CDI therapy, defined as oral vancomycin or fidaxomicin. Oral metronidazole was considered guideline-concordant if prescribed due to cost barrier. Secondary endpoints: reasons for alternative CDI therapy, patient outcomes, prescriber response to the BPA. Descriptive and bivariate analyses were completed. Results 189 patients were included in the study, 92 before and 97 after the BPA. Median age: 59 years, 31% male, 75% Caucasian, 30% with CDI-related comorbidities, 35% with healthcare exposure, 65% with antibiotic exposure, 44% with gastric acid suppression therapy within 90 days of CDI diagnosis. The BPA was accepted 23 out of 26 times and optimized the therapy of 16 patients in six months. Guideline-concordant therapy increased after implementation of the BPA (72% vs. 91%, p=0.001) (Figure 1). Vancomycin prescribing increased and metronidazole prescribing decreased after the BPA (Figure 2). Reasons for alternative CDI therapy included medication cost, lack of insurance coverage, and non-CDI infection. There was no difference in clinical response or unplanned encounter within 14 days after treatment initiation. Fewer patients after the BPA had CDI recurrence within 14-56 days of the initial episode (27% vs. 7%, p< 0.001). Figure 1. Guideline-concordant CDI therapy Figure 2. Specific CDI therapy Conclusion Clinical decision support increased prescribing of guideline-concordant CDI therapy in the outpatient setting. A targeted BPA is an effective stewardship intervention and may be especially useful in settings with limited antimicrobial stewardship resources. Disclosures Susan L. Davis, PharmD, Nothing to disclose Rachel Kenney, PharmD, Medtronic, Inc. (Other Financial or Material Support, spouse is an employee and shareholder)


Background.
With the Joint Commission standards targeting ambulatory settings serving as a catalyst, we designed a quality improvement (QI) project was designed to evaluate the existing management and prescribing patterns for urinary tract infections (UTI) in the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) Emergency Department (ED) in order to identify targets for ASP intervention.
Methods. This was a Pharmacist-driven, prospective, QI project conducted over a 3-month period. The clinical presentations and microbiological data of uncomplicated cystitis and pyelonephritis cases managed in the ED were reviewed. Within 24-72 hours of ED discharge, recommendations were relayed to both patients and ED staff. Diagnostic criteria and management concordant with established clinical guidelines were assessed. Inclusion criteria included age ≥ 18, admission status, urine culture and antibiotics for UTI or pyelonephritis.
Results. A daily urinalysis (UA) report identified 1781 ED encounters of which 117 cases met inclusion criteria. Nitrofurantoin was most prescribed empirically at 39.3% followed by a cephalosporin (23.1%) or a fluoroquinolone (19.7%), accounting for 32% of inappropriate empiric antibiotic selection. Cases were identified with inappropriate duration of therapy (22.2%), dosage (9.4%), and drug-bug mismatch (9.4%). Nearly 38% of cases required intervention to discontinue (32.5%) or initiate new antibiotics (3.4%). Diagnostic concordance was defined as having positive urinary symptoms, clinically significant UA and positive urine culture. This was only observed in 37.6% of all cases, of which only 43.2% were treated with a guideline concordant empiric regimen, dosage and duration of therapy. Although not included in the final analysis, it was noted 916 urine culture results were ordered where 70% were not associated with genitourinary complaints or sepsis.
Conclusion. Despite guidelines for UTI management, considerable practice discordance was found in the ED. Multiple Pharmacist targeted interventions were identified. Prioritized areas for ED provider education include first-line therapy, treatment duration, and diagnostic stewardship. This QI project has potential for optimizing prescribing practices in Military Health System ambulatory settings.
Disclosures. Background. Our antimicrobial stewardship program identified high rates of suboptimal metronidazole prescribing for Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) within ambulatory clinics. An outpatient best practice advisory (BPA) was implemented to notify prescribers "Vancomycin or fidaxomicin are preferred over metronidazole for C.difficile infection" when metronidazole was prescribed to a patient with CDI.
Methods. We conducted an IRB approved quasi-experiment before and after implementation of the BPA on June 3, 2020. Inclusion: Adult patients diagnosed with and treated for a first episode of symptomatic CDI at an ambulatory clinic between 11/1/2019 and 11/30/2020. Exclusion: fulminant CDI. Primary endpoint: guideline-concordant CDI therapy, defined as oral vancomycin or fidaxomicin. Oral metronidazole was considered guideline-concordant if prescribed due to cost barrier. Secondary endpoints: reasons for alternative CDI therapy, patient outcomes, prescriber response to the BPA. Descriptive and bivariate analyses were completed.
Results. 189 patients were included in the study, 92 before and 97 after the BPA. Median age: 59 years, 31% male, 75% Caucasian, 30% with CDI-related comorbidities, 35% with healthcare exposure, 65% with antibiotic exposure, 44% with gastric acid suppression therapy within 90 days of CDI diagnosis. The BPA was accepted 23 out of 26 times and optimized the therapy of 16 patients in six months. Guideline-concordant therapy increased after implementation of the BPA (72% vs. 91%, p=0.001) ( Figure  1). Vancomycin prescribing increased and metronidazole prescribing decreased after the BPA (Figure 2). Reasons for alternative CDI therapy included medication cost, lack of insurance coverage, and non-CDI infection. There was no difference in clinical response or unplanned encounter within 14 days after treatment initiation. Fewer patients after the BPA had CDI recurrence within 14-56 days of the initial episode (27% vs. 7%, p< 0.001).  Conclusion. Clinical decision support increased prescribing of guideline-concordant CDI therapy in the outpatient setting. A targeted BPA is an effective stewardship intervention and may be especially useful in settings with limited antimicrobial stewardship resources.
Disclosures. Susan L. Davis, PharmD, Nothing to disclose Rachel Kenney, PharmD, Medtronic, Inc. (Other Financial or Material Support, spouse is an employee and shareholder) Background. Studies have found a need for improved antimicrobial stewardship in the outpatient setting. The literature is limited by the populations and disease states studied as many focus on viral infections. This study focuses on the adult emergency departments (EDs) in a large healthcare system and quantifies the proportion of antibiotic prescriptions deemed inappropriate for common outpatient infections.
Methods. A retrospective study was conducted in patients with selected common infections treated as an outpatient from the ED. Patients were reviewed for eligibility based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria in Table 1. Appropriateness was analyzed based on: need for antimicrobial therapy; agent choice, dose, duration, and directions in concordance with national guidelines and local resistance patterns; and no clinically relevant drug interactions, unnecessary dual coverage, or a better or safer alternative available. The entire prescription was marked inappropriate if any factor was deemed inappropriate.

Table 1. Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria
Based on the Epic report generated, a random sample of patients were selected for manual review. Only patients who met the following criteria were eligible for inclusion in the final analysis.
Results. Of the 318 patients reviewed, 274 were included. Treatment was deemed inappropriate 64% (174/274) of the time, significantly above the estimated 30% (p < 0.001). The agent selection, duration, and dose were the most the frequent factors deeming a prescription inappropriate. The most inappropriately used agents were fluoroquinolones and azithromycin. A positive culture required modification of therapy 31% (22/70) of the time and more so when the drug was guideline recommended. For example, when empiric antibiotic selection was per urinary tract infection guidelines, 31% (14/53) required modification compared to 19% (3/16) when the agent was not. This was most apparent when cephalexin was used.
Conclusion. The use of antibiotics at the studied EDs was not in concordance with guidelines in the study period. However, the cultures were sensitive less often to agents deemed appropriate per guidelines for empiric therapy. It is possible that the ideal treatments of bacterial infections in this community are not representative of national resistance patterns. Using ED-specific antibiograms to create order panels for common infections, as well as prospective pharmacist review at ED discharge, could increase appropriate utilization of preferred agents.
Disclosures. All Authors: No reported disclosures