2018 Epi Project: Antibiotic Overuse After Hospital Discharge: A Multi-hospital Cohort Study

A retrospective cohort study of hospitalized patients treated for pneumonia or UTI in 46 hospitals between 1 July 2017–30 July 2019, finding that of 21,825 patients treated for infection, nearly half (49.1%) had antibiotic overuse after discharge (56.9% with pneumonia; 38.7% with a UTI). The researchers concluded that antibiotic overuse after discharge was common and varied widely among hospitals. Antibiotic overuse after discharge was associated between conditions, suggesting that the prescribing culture, physician behavior, or organizational processes contribute to overprescribing at discharge. Multifaceted efforts focusing on all 3 types of overuse and multiple conditions should be considered to improve antibiotic prescribing at discharge.

Valerie M Vaughn, Tejal N Gandhi, Vineet Chopra, Lindsay A Petty, Daniel L Giesler, Anurag N Malani, Steven J Bernstein, Lama M Hsaiky, Jason M Pogue, Lisa Dumkow, David Ratz, Elizabeth S McLaughlin, Scott A Flanders, Antibiotic Overuse After Hospital Discharge: A Multi-hospital Cohort Study, Clinical Infectious Diseases, Volume 73, Issue 11, 1 December 2021, Pages e4499–e4506