1063. A Healthcare Worker-Informed Approach to the Hospital-to-Home Transition on Oral Antibiotics

Abstract

Background

Improved antibiotic decision-making during the hospital-to-home transition is an important but under-addressed target for antimicrobial stewardship. This study aims to provide a healthcare worker-informed approach to characterize prescriber antibiotic decision-making and patient medication management at discharge to identify barriers to and strategies for antibiotic stewardship during the hospital-to-home transition.

Methods

Semi-structured interviews were conducted at an academic medical center with relevant stakeholders including house staff (n = 10), nurses (n = 2), nurse practitioners (n = 5), inpatient pharmacists (n = 4), and discharge coordinators (n = 2). Interviews focused on challenges to antibiotic decision-making and patient medication management at discharge. Transcripts were independently coded and analyzed by two physicians using the constant comparative method.

Results

We identified four main barriers to antibiotic decision-making at hospital discharge: (1) uncertainty over antibiotic choice (due to lack of microbiology data), (2) pressure to discharge, (3) lack of control over antibiotic decision-making (attending-led decision with little room for input), and (4) lack of awareness of cost and insurance coverage. We also identified challenges to patient medication management specific to patient education: (1) role ambiguity around who provides education and (2) lack of education to patients around side effects. To improve antibiotic decision-making, prescribers relied heavily on institutional guidelines and interaction with experts in informing antibiotic choices, and used multidisciplinary approaches to verify antibiotic cost and availability. Five strategies to improve medication management were proposed: (1) assessing patient health literacy when providing instructions, (2) an in-hospital trial of the oral antibiotic to ensure tolerance, (3) ensuring the patient leaves the hospital with the antibiotic in hand, (4) care coordination after discharge, and (5) close follow-up with prescribers after discharge.

Conclusion

Our findings identify barriers to discharge antibiotic decision-making and medication management that allow for targeted interventions to improve antibiotic decision-making during the hospital-to-home transition.

Disclosures

Sara E. Cosgrove, MD, MS, Basilea: Consultant; Theravance: Consultant.