Using an index-based approach to assess the population-level appropriateness of empirical antibiotic therapy.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

The population-level appropriateness of empirical antibiotic therapy can be conventionally measured by ascertainment of treatment coverage. This method involves a complex resource-intensive case-by-case assessment of the prescribed antibiotic treatment and the resistance of the causative microorganism. We aimed to develop an alternative approach based, instead, on the use of routinely available surveillance data.

Methods

We calculated a drug effectiveness index by combining three simple aggregated metrics: relative frequency of aetiological agents, level of resistance and relative frequency of antibiotic use. To evaluate the applicability of our approach, we used this metric to estimate the population-level appropriateness of guideline-compliant and non-guideline-

SUBMITTER: Ciccolini M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4267501 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature