Table 3. Key Metrics and Evaluation Techniques for Objective III (Source: Author's Own Property).

AMR: antimicrobial resistance

Key Indicators	Evaluation Techniques
Average length of stay (LoS) (days)	All 240 cases were documented with their respective admission and discharge dates, allowing for the calculation of the length of stay for each patient. Subsequently, an analysis was conducted to determine the average LoS per patient.
Impact on hospital stay with empirical therapy (accurate versus inaccurate decisions)	Eligible cases were further examined to evaluate their impact on the length of stay. The statistical calculations included combining the total number of completely inaccurate and mixed decisions to reflect the overall number of inaccurate decisions (n = 189 cases, excluding three cases of directed therapy and 28 cases with no cultures during the stay).
Evaluation of side effects of antibiotic therapy	All cases were evaluated to determine the usage of probiotics or antidiarrheal drugs during hospitalization, aiming to identify those potentially experiencing side effects from prolonged antibiotic therapy (n = 220 cases, excluding 20 cases where no antibiotics were administered during hospitalization).
Identifying suspected healthcare-associated infections (HAI)/nosocomial infections	Positive cultures with various isolates were analyzed to detect HAIs, defined as those emerging at least 48 hours after admission or within 30 days post discharge. The study involved 86 cases with inpatient stays exceeding three days. Data were collected from microbiological culture reports (pus swab, body fluid, and sputum within 72-96 hours; blood after seven days; and urine within 48-72 hours) and organized by the reported date (n = 86 cases with >3 days of inpatient stay).
Identifying 30-day readmissions following initial treatment and assessing their impact	The study assessed 229 patients for readmissions within 30 days, focusing solely on financial impacts related to health insurance settlements, excluding staffing or other hospital costs.
Antibiotics susceptibility/resistance rates	The institutional antibiograms were utilized to track AMR and susceptibility trends throughout the study to uncover correlations between local antibiotic prescribing practices and infection control measures by comparing profiles across various periods.