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Nurse-led Antimicrobial Stewardship Intervention to Increase Antibiotic Appropriateness in Residential Aged Care Facilities

Not Applicable
Conditions
Antimicrobial Stewardship
Urinary Tract Infections
Skin and Soft Tissue Infections
Respiratory Tract Infections
Interventions
Behavioral: Antimicrobial stewardship
Registration Number
NCT03941509
Lead Sponsor
Bayside Health
Brief Summary

The study will explore the impact of a nurse-led bundled antimicrobial stewardship intervention on the appropriateness of antimicrobial use in residential aged care facilities. The intervention will be assessed in a stepped-wedge cluster randomised controlled trial across 14 residential aged care facilities over an 18-month period.

Detailed Description

The study will explore the impact of a nurse-led bundled antimicrobial stewardship intervention on the appropriateness of antimicrobial use in residential aged care facilities (RACFs).

The antimicrobial stewardship intervention will include the following components:

1. Education

* Focused on antimicrobial stewardship and appropriate antimicrobial use

* Delivered face-to-face, via workbooks and fact sheets to aged care staff, general practitioners (GPs), pharmacists, and residents and families. Education will be delivered by the research coordinator.

2. Guidelines

* Aged care-specific guidelines for the assessment and antimicrobial management of urinary tract infections, respiratory tract infections and skin and soft tissue infections.

* Antimicrobial management recommendations including empirical oral therapy, doses and duration of therapy.

3. Communication

* Documentation for the assessment and antimicrobial management of infections.

* Nurse-led engagement with residents and families.

* Newsletters and online updates to highlight evidence-based prescribing practice

4. Audit and feedback - Surveillance and feedback to prescribers on antimicrobial use and facility-level antimicrobial susceptibility data.

The intervention bundle will first be implemented and tested for feasibility and acceptability over a 3-month period in two RACFs in Victoria, Australia. This tailored intervention will then be assessed in a stepped-wedge cluster randomised controlled trial across 12 RACFs over an 16-month period.

A cluster of two facilities will each transition through three phases over the 16 month trial:

* Control phase: baseline data collection. Usual care at each facility.

* Transition phase: Delivery of education and integration of the intervention. No data collection.

* Intervention phase: implementation of the intervention and outcome data collection. Ongoing education to new and existing staff will be provided as required.

Following the 16-month trial, the refined intervention bundle will be implemented nationally across a network of RACFs.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
UNKNOWN
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
700
Inclusion Criteria

Residents:

  • All residents from 12 RACFs will have de-identified data collected including antimicrobial use, infection, hospitalisation and mortality.
  • Residents or their guardians who provide informed consent to monthly biospecimen sampling and participation in one-on-one interviews or focus groups.

Health professionals:

  • Health professionals (including aged care staff and GPs) who provide informed consent to participate in one-on-one interviews or focus groups.
Exclusion Criteria
  • Residents or their guardians who do not consent to biospecimen sampling and/or participation in interviews/focus groups.
  • Health professionals who do not consent to participate in interviews/focus groups.

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
CROSSOVER
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Antimicrobial stewardshipAntimicrobial stewardshipImplementation of the nurse-led bundled antimicrobial stewardship intervention
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Rate of total days of systemic antimicrobial therapy per 1,000 occupied bed days (OBD)Assessed from commencement of the intervention at each facility until the conclusion of the trial at 16 months
Cumulative proportion of residents prescribed a systemic antimicrobialAssessed from commencement of the intervention at each facility until the conclusion of the trial at 16 months
Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Proportion of appropriate antimicrobial use.Assessed from commencement of the intervention at each facility until the conclusion of the trial at 16 months

Antimicrobials will be considered to be appropriate if minimum criteria for their initiation are met according to guidelines by the Society of Healthcare Epidemiology of America.

Number of courses of systemic antimicrobial therapy per 1,000 OBD.Assessed from commencement of the intervention at each facility until the conclusion of the trial at 16 months
Rate of Clostridium Difficile infectionAssessed from commencement of the intervention at each facility until the conclusion of the trial at 16 months
Frequency of carriage of antimicrobial-resistant organismsAssessed over a 12-month period during the trial (at least 2 months pre-intervention and 2 months post-intervention).

Monthly biospecimen sampling will be collected from residents including nasal, faecal/rectal and wound specimens.

All-cause mortalityAssessed from commencement of the intervention at each facility until the conclusion of the trial at 16 months
Change in facility-level antimicrobial susceptibility profileAssessed over a 12-month period during the trial (at least 2 months pre-intervention and 2 months post-intervention).

Monthly biospecimen sampling will be collected from residents including nasal, faecal/rectal and wound specimens.

Incidence of resident transfer to hospital for infectious indicationsAssessed from commencement of the intervention at each facility until the conclusion of the trial at 16 months
Perceptions from stakeholders on quality and uptake of the interventionAssessed at the conclusion of the trial at 16 months

Semi-structured interviews conducted one-on-one or in moderated focus groups with stakeholders including aged care staff, GPs, residents and families.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Bupa residential aged care facilities

🇦🇺

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

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