Table 2.
Comparison of intravenous antibiotic duration and cost of hospitalization
| Variable | Intervention group | Control group | Difference (95% CI) | Odds ratio (95% CI) | p value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intention-to-treat analysis | |||||
| No. of study participants | 398 | 402 | |||
| Intravenous antibiotics | |||||
| Duration of intravenous antibiotics (days) | 7.0 (5.0–9.0) | 8.0 (6.0–11.0) | –1.5 (–2.1 to –0.8)a | NA | <0.001 |
| Given (%) | 367/398 (92.1) | 377/402 (93.8) | –1.6 (–5.1 to 2.0) | 0.79 (0.46–1.36) | 0.38 |
| De-escalation within the first 72 h (%)b | 29/367 (7.9) | 12/377 (3.2) | 4.7 (1.4–8.0) | 2.61 (1.31–5.20) | 0.005 |
| De-escalation between 72 h and 7 days (%)b | 109/367 (29.7) | 83/377 (22.0) | 7.7 (1.4–14.0) | 1.50 (1.08–2.08) | 0.024 |
| Length of hospital stay (days) | 8.0 (7.0–11.0) | 9.0 (7.0–12.0) | –1.0 (–1.6 to –0.4)a | NA | <0.001 |
| Cost of intravenous antibiotics ($) | 189.9 (103.5–316.5) | 245.8 (138.1–397.8) | NA | NA | <0.001 |
| Cost of hospitalization ($) | 1804.7 (1298.4–2633.8) | 2042.5 (1427.4–2926.2) | NA | NA | 0.002 |
| Per-protocol analysis | |||||
| No. of study participants | 383 | 378 | |||
| Intravenous antibiotics | |||||
| Duration of intravenous antibiotics (days) | 7.0 (5.0–9.0) | 8.0 (6.0–11.0) | –1.6 (–2.2 to –1.0)a | NA | <0.001 |
| Given (%) | 353 (92.2) | 356 (94.2) | –2.0 (–5.6 to 1.6) | 0.73 (0.41–1.29) | 0.27 |
| De-escalation within the first 72 h (%)b | 27/353 (7.7) | 12/356 (3.4) | 4.3 (0.9–7.6) | 2.37 (1.18–4.77) | 0.013 |
| De-escalation between 72 h and 7 days (%)b | 105/353 (29.8) | 81/356 (22.8) | 7.0 (0.5–13.5) | 1.44 (1.03–2.01) | 0.034 |
| Length of hospital stay (days) | 8.0 (6.0–10.0) | 9.0 (7.0–12.0) | –1.1 (–1.7 to –0.5)a | NA | <0.001 |
| Cost of intravenous antibiotics ($) | 188.3 (103.5–312.7) | 251.7 (147.5–411.4) | NA | NA | <0.001 |
| Cost of hospitalization ($) | 1792.6 (1261.1–2581.3) | 2027.2 (1436.5–2903.3) | NA | NA | <0.001 |
NA, not applicable.
Data are presented as median (interquartile range) for continuous variables and as per cent for categorical variables. Difference of continuous variable between intervention and control group was compared using the Wilcoxon rank-sum test. Difference of categorical variable between intervention and control group was compared using χ2 tests and logistic regression model was used to calculate unadjusted odds ratios.
a
Mean difference.
b
The denominator is the number of study participants that received intravenous antibiotics.