Impact of a Prospective Audit and Feedback Antimicrobial Stewardship Program in Pediatric Units in Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital in Thailand

Background: Antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) have been proven to be beneficial in reducing the use of antimicrobial agents, antibiotic resistance, and health care costs. The data supporting the utility of ASPs has come largely from adult hospital units, but few pediatric hospital units have implemented ASPs. Our objective for this study was to assess the impact of ASPs in pediatric units in tertiary care teaching hospitals.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review to compare antimicrobial use pre- and post-ASP over a 6-month period in a tertiary care hospital in which an ASP had been in use since July 2017. Meropenem, vancomycin, and colistin were selected to be monitored. ASP rounds were conducted twice a week to assess and provide feedback on antimicrobial prescriptions. Antimicrobial use was measured as days of therapy (DOTs) per 1000 patient-days and was compared pre- and post-ASP by using independent tests.

Results: Charts of children hospitalized who were in antimicrobial treatment pre-ASP (44.3%) and post-ASP (41.7%) were reviewed. The percentages of children who received selected antimicrobial agents did not differ between pre- and post-ASP. During the post-ASP period, a significant reduction in DOT with vancomycin and colistin was observed. Vancomycin use decreased from 58.5 to 40.2 DOTs per 1000 patient-days ( = .038), and colistin decreased from 36.3 to 13.8 DOTs per 1000 patient-days ( = .026). Meropenem use decreased from 126.8 to 111.2 DOTs per 1000 patient-days ( = .467). Between the 2 periods, there was no effect on length of stay and mortality.

Conclusions: ASPs can lead to a significant reduction in selected antimicrobial use in children who are hospitalized, with no effect on length of stay or mortality rate.