Table 1.
Consequences of Antibiotic Overuse or Misuse and the Potential Impact of an Antibiotic Stewardship Program to Address These Issues
| Consequences of Inappropriate Antibiotic Use | Benefits of Antibiotic Stewardship Program |
|---|---|
| Increased rates of CDI and other nosocomial infections | Decrease in CDI with incidence rate ratio of 0.3519 Decrease in CDI incidence from 2.2 to 1.4 cases per 1,000 patient-d20 Decrease in CDI incidence by 60%21 52% risk reduction of CDI22 Decreased rate of CLABSI from 6.9 to 1.2 per 1,000 catheter-d (P < .05)23 |
| Longer hospital LOSa | Mean hospital LOS reduced by 2.9 d24 Average 3.3-d reduction in length of stay (P = .0001)25 |
| Increased costs | Antibiotic expenditures decreased by 53%26 25% acquisition cost reduction per patient-d27 |
| Prolonged treatment durations | Decreased antibiotic use by 55%28 Decreased duration of treatment from 14.1 to 11.9 d29 Decreased duration of treatment30 |
CDI = Clostridium difficile infection; CLABSI = central line-associated bloodstream infection; LOS = length of stay.
a
Note that other studies have shown no difference in length of stay with implementation of an antibiotic stewardship program.