Is adherence to national guidelines for parenteral empiric antibiotic therapy effective? Experience from a Sri Lankan center

Introduction: Guidelines for the selection of empirical antibiotics have been developed to improve patient outcomes and reduce unnecessary antibiotic use. We assessed the extent of adherence to the national guidelines for the selection of parenteral empirical antibiotics for three selected infectio...

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Main Authors: Gayashan Chathuranga, Thushari Dissanayake, Neluka Fernando, Chandanie Amila Wanigatunge
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: The Journal of Infection in Developing Countries 2023-04-01
Series:Journal of Infection in Developing Countries
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Online Access:https://jidc.org/index.php/journal/article/view/16994
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author Gayashan Chathuranga
Thushari Dissanayake
Neluka Fernando
Chandanie Amila Wanigatunge
author_facet Gayashan Chathuranga
Thushari Dissanayake
Neluka Fernando
Chandanie Amila Wanigatunge
author_sort Gayashan Chathuranga
collection DOAJ
description Introduction: Guidelines for the selection of empirical antibiotics have been developed to improve patient outcomes and reduce unnecessary antibiotic use. We assessed the extent of adherence to the national guidelines for the selection of parenteral empirical antibiotics for three selected infections at a tertiary care center. Methodology: A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted in medical and surgical wards of a tertiary care hospital in Sri Lanka. Adult patients with a positive culture for a lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI), skin and soft tissue infection (SSTI), or urinary tract infection (UTI) and who were prescribed parenteral empirical antibiotic therapy by the attending physician were included. Bacteria were identified and antibiotic susceptibility was determined by standard microbiological methods. Adherence to the guidelines was defined as prescribing the empiric antibiotic concordant with the national guidelines on the empirical use of antibiotics. Results: A total of 160 bacterial isolates were obtained from 158 patients with positive cultures, the majority were from UTIs (n = 56). The selection of empirical antibiotics was concordant with the national guidelines in 92.4% of patients and 29.5% of the bacterial isolates obtained from these patients were resistant to the prescribed empiric antibiotic. Only 47.5% (76/160) of the bacterial isolates were sensitive to the empiric antibiotic and therefore can be considered an appropriate antibiotic prescription. Conclusions: Empirical antibiotic guidelines should be updated based on the latest surveillance data and information on prevailing bacterial spectra. Antibiotic prescribing patterns and guideline concordance should be periodically evaluated to ensure whether antimicrobial stewardship programs are moving in the right direction.
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spelling doaj-art-ec5c2ded6e53428ea1498611c4f1834f2025-08-20T02:27:22ZengThe Journal of Infection in Developing CountriesJournal of Infection in Developing Countries1972-26802023-04-01170410.3855/jidc.16994Is adherence to national guidelines for parenteral empiric antibiotic therapy effective? Experience from a Sri Lankan centerGayashan Chathuranga0Thushari Dissanayake1Neluka Fernando2Chandanie Amila Wanigatunge3Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri LankaDepartment of Microbiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri LankaDepartment of Microbiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri LankaDepartment of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka Introduction: Guidelines for the selection of empirical antibiotics have been developed to improve patient outcomes and reduce unnecessary antibiotic use. We assessed the extent of adherence to the national guidelines for the selection of parenteral empirical antibiotics for three selected infections at a tertiary care center. Methodology: A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted in medical and surgical wards of a tertiary care hospital in Sri Lanka. Adult patients with a positive culture for a lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI), skin and soft tissue infection (SSTI), or urinary tract infection (UTI) and who were prescribed parenteral empirical antibiotic therapy by the attending physician were included. Bacteria were identified and antibiotic susceptibility was determined by standard microbiological methods. Adherence to the guidelines was defined as prescribing the empiric antibiotic concordant with the national guidelines on the empirical use of antibiotics. Results: A total of 160 bacterial isolates were obtained from 158 patients with positive cultures, the majority were from UTIs (n = 56). The selection of empirical antibiotics was concordant with the national guidelines in 92.4% of patients and 29.5% of the bacterial isolates obtained from these patients were resistant to the prescribed empiric antibiotic. Only 47.5% (76/160) of the bacterial isolates were sensitive to the empiric antibiotic and therefore can be considered an appropriate antibiotic prescription. Conclusions: Empirical antibiotic guidelines should be updated based on the latest surveillance data and information on prevailing bacterial spectra. Antibiotic prescribing patterns and guideline concordance should be periodically evaluated to ensure whether antimicrobial stewardship programs are moving in the right direction. https://jidc.org/index.php/journal/article/view/16994Antibioticsempirical therapyguidelinesantimicrobial resistance (AMR)
spellingShingle Gayashan Chathuranga
Thushari Dissanayake
Neluka Fernando
Chandanie Amila Wanigatunge
Is adherence to national guidelines for parenteral empiric antibiotic therapy effective? Experience from a Sri Lankan center
Journal of Infection in Developing Countries
Antibiotics
empirical therapy
guidelines
antimicrobial resistance (AMR)
title Is adherence to national guidelines for parenteral empiric antibiotic therapy effective? Experience from a Sri Lankan center
title_full Is adherence to national guidelines for parenteral empiric antibiotic therapy effective? Experience from a Sri Lankan center
title_fullStr Is adherence to national guidelines for parenteral empiric antibiotic therapy effective? Experience from a Sri Lankan center
title_full_unstemmed Is adherence to national guidelines for parenteral empiric antibiotic therapy effective? Experience from a Sri Lankan center
title_short Is adherence to national guidelines for parenteral empiric antibiotic therapy effective? Experience from a Sri Lankan center
title_sort is adherence to national guidelines for parenteral empiric antibiotic therapy effective experience from a sri lankan center
topic Antibiotics
empirical therapy
guidelines
antimicrobial resistance (AMR)
url https://jidc.org/index.php/journal/article/view/16994
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