TABLE 2.
Trends of carbapenem prescription during the pre‐ and post‐AST intervention periods
| Variables | Pre‐AST intervention period | Post‐AST intervention period | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
| (n = 771) | (n = 729) | ||
| Duration of carbapenem therapy, days | 9.9 ± 8.5 | 7.7 ± 4.8 | <.001 |
| De‐escalation | 311 (40.3) | 375 (51.4) | <.001 |
| Discontinuation of therapy (within 7 days) | 236 (30.6) | 234 (32.1) | .534 |
| Switch to narrow‐spectrum antibiotics | 63 (8.2) | 120 (16.5) | <.001 |
| Penicillin group | 8 (1.0) | 17 (2.3) | .050 |
| Ampicillin | 3 (0.3) | 3 (0.4) | 1.000 |
| Ampicillin and sulbactam | 4 (0.5) | 12 (1.6) | .043 |
| Piperacillin and tazobactam | 5 (0.6) | 14 (1.9) | .028 |
| Cephem group | 46 (6.0) | 83 (11.4) | <.001 |
| First generation cephem | 10 (1.3) | 24 (3.3) | .009 |
| Second Generation cephem | 14 (1.8) | 19 (2.6) | .297 |
| Third Generation cephem | 22 (2.9) | 37 (0.4) | .027 |
| Fouth Generation cephem | 0 (0.0) | 3 (1.0) | .115 |
| Combination | 4 (0.5) | 5 (0.7) | .465 |
| Switch from parenteral to oral route | 12 (1.6) | 22 (3.0) | .057 |
| Continuous treatment (more than 8 days) | 446 (57.8) | 341 (46.8) | <.001 |
| Change to other classes a | 14 (1.8) | 12 (1.6) | .801 |
| Anti MRSA drugs | 6 (0.8) | 4 (0.5) | .754 |
| Others | 7 (0.9) | 5 (0.7) | .629 |
| Combination | 1 (0.1) | 4 (0.5) | .170 |
Data were presented as mean ± standard deviation or n (%).
Abbreviations: AST, antimicrobial stewardship team; MRSA, methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
a
Change to other classes was defined as a switch to non‐β‐lactam intravenous agents.