Implementation of the Smart Use of Antibiotics Program to Reduce Unnecessary Antibiotic Use in a Neonatal ICU: A Prospective Interrupted Time-Series Study in a Developing Country

Objectives: We aimed to implement our Smart Use of Antibiotics Program to ensure the proper use of antimicrobials, improve patient care and outcomes, and reduce the risks of adverse effects and antimicrobial resistance. Design: We compared the time periods before (baseline) and after (intervention) the implementation of an antibiotic protocol by performing surveillance and assessments of all antibiotic use during a 29-month interrupted period. Setting: Level 3–4 neonatal ICU in one referral center. Patients: All 13,540 infants who received antibiotics during their hospital stay from 2015 to 2017. Interventions: Prospective audit of targeted antibiotic stewardship program. Measurements and Main Results: The primary outcome was the change in total antibiotic days of therapy per 1,000 patient-days between the baseline and intervention periods. The secondary outcomes included readmissions for infection, late-onset sepsis (length of stay), necrotizing enterocolitis, or death in infants at 32 weeks of gestation or younger and the prevalence of multidrug-resistant organism colonization. No differences in safety outcomes were observed between the intervention and baseline periods. Following the implementation of our Smart Use of Antibiotics Program, the total quantity of antibiotics in the intervention phase was significantly decreased from 543 days of therapy per 1,000 patient-days to 380 days of therapy/1,000 patient-days compared with that of baseline (p = 0.0001), which occurred in parallel with a reduction in length of stay from 11.4% during the baseline period to 6.5% during the intervention period (p = 0.01). A reduced multidrug-resistant organism rate was also observed following Smart Use of Antibiotics Program implementation (1.4% vs 1.0%; p = 0.02). The overall readmission rate did not differ between the two periods (1.2% vs 1.1%; p = 0.16). Conclusions: Smart Use of Antibiotics Program implementation was effective in reducing antibiotic exposure without affecting quality of care. Antibiotic stewardship programs are attainable through tailoring to special stewardship targets even in a developing country.

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