The purpose of this study is to establish the impact of a pharmacist's recommendations regarding choice, dosing and duration of antibiotic therapy on quality and cost of antibiotic treatment on surgical wards.
Inappropriate or incorrect use of antibacterials exerts selection pressure on pathogens potentiating emergence of resistance, puts patients at risk for unnecessary adverse drug reactions and potentially prolongs the length of stay in hospital thus increasing healthcare costs. In an effort to improve the quality of antibiotic drug therapy on surgical wards of a large university hospital, specific consulting by a clinical pharmacist was established. The objective of this study is to assess the impact of pharmaceutical consulting on the quality and costs of antibiotic use in surgical wards. Comparison: Within a control period the current pattern of antibiotic use is monitored. During the intervention period, the impact of the interventions made by the clinical pharmacist on antibiotic use is examined. One ward serves as a parallel control group; no intervention is being made on this ward throughout this study.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
779
to measure if information and advice by a pharmacist has an impact on quality and quantity of prescribed antibacterials
Luwig Maximilians University - Klinikum Grosshadern
Munich, Bavaria, Germany
overall duration of antibiotic therapy during study period
Time frame: Feb 2008
iv to oral switch
number of courses of iv antibiotics switched to oral antibiotics; duration of iv treatment
Time frame: Feb 2008
compliance of treatment with hospital formulary for antibiotic therapy
Time frame: Feb 2008
cost of antibiotic therapy
Time frame: Feb 2008
number and duration of therapy with antibiotics with redundant spectra
Time frame: Feb 2008
This platform is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.