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Erschienen in:
01.02.2014 | Clinical and Epidemiological Study
Antibiotic stewardship in Germany: a cross-sectional questionnaire survey of 355 intensive care units
Erschienen in: Infection | Ausgabe 1/2014
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Purpose
Little information is available on antibiotic prescription management in German hospitals. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to determine the prevalence and components of antibiotic stewardship measures in German intensive care units (ICUs).
Methods
A questionnaire survey was sent to all ICUs participating in the German nosocomial infection surveillance system (n = 579) in October 2011. Data on antibiotic management structures were collected and analyzed by structural hospital and ICU factors.
Results
The questionnaire was completed by 355 German ICUs (response rate 61 %). Common measures used (>80 % of the ICUs) were personnel restrictions for antibiotic prescriptions, routine access to bacterial resistance data, and pharmacy reports on antibiotic costs and consumption. A small proportion of ICUs (14 %) employed physicians specialized in the prescription of antimicrobial medication. Hospitals with their own microbiological laboratory report participation in surveillance networks for antimicrobial use (34 %) and bacterial resistance (32 %) twice as often as hospitals with external laboratories (15 and 14 %, respectively, p < 0.001). Also, non-profit and public hospitals participate more often in surveillance networks for bacterial resistance than private hospitals (>23 % vs. 11 %, p < 0.05).
Conclusions
While the majority of ICUs report to have some antibiotic policies established, the contents and composition of these policies vary. Organizational-level control strategies to improve antibiotic management are common in Germany. However, strategies widely considered effective, such as the systematic cross-institutional surveillance of antimicrobial use and bacterial resistance in a standardized manner or the employment of infectious disease specialists, are scarce. This study provides a benchmark for future antibiotic stewardship programs.