Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34078301›Full record

ArticleBMC infectious diseases2021

Reducing the use of empiric antibiotic therapy in COVID-19 on hospital admission.

Natasha N Pettit, Cynthia T Nguyen, Alison K Lew, Palak H Bhagat, Allison Nelson, Gregory Olson, Jessica P Ridgway, Mai T Pho, Jade Pagkas-Bather

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC infectious diseases, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 27 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
27citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
7.1field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

27 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 49 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Trends, Seasonality, and the Impact of COVID-19 on ClinicalAntibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Hospital Antibiotic Use during COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023
    Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Article
  17. Review
  18. The Dual Pandemics of COVID-19 and Obesity: Bidirectional Impact.Diabetes therapy : research, treatment and education of diabetes and related disorders · 2022
    Review
  19. To Prescribe, or Not to Prescribe, That Is the Question.Journal of Korean medical science · 2022
    Article
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Natasha N PettitDepartment of Pharmacy, The University of Chicago Medicine, 5841 S Maryland Ave, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA. natasha.pettit@uchospitals.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8937-8039
Cynthia T NguyenDepartment of Pharmacy, The University of Chicago Medicine, 5841 S Maryland Ave, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA.
Alison K LewDepartment of Pharmacy, The University of Chicago Medicine, 5841 S Maryland Ave, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA.
Palak H BhagatDepartment of Pharmacy, The University of Chicago Medicine, 5841 S Maryland Ave, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA.
Allison NelsonDepartment of Pharmacy, The University of Chicago Medicine, 5841 S Maryland Ave, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA.
Gregory OlsonDepartment of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases and Global Health, The University of Chicago Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA.
Jessica P RidgwayDepartment of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases and Global Health, The University of Chicago Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA.
Mai T PhoDepartment of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases and Global Health, The University of Chicago Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA.
Jade Pagkas-BatherDepartment of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases and Global Health, The University of Chicago Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA.
University of Chicago · US

Funding

Third Coast HIV-Related Cardiovascular and Sleep Disorders K12 Career Development ProgramK12HL143959 · NHLBI · UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO · PI ARDEHALI, HOSSEIN, SCHNEIDER, JOHN · 2018 to 2022
$1.5M
NHLBI NIH HHS K12 HL143959
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundEmpiric antibiotics for community acquired bacterial pneumonia (CABP) are often prescribed to patients with COVID-19, despite a low reported incidence of co-infections. Stewardship interventions targeted at facilitating appropriate antibiotic prescribing for CABP among COVID-19 patients are needed. We developed a guideline for antibiotic initiation and discontinuation for CABP in COVID-19 patients. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of this intervention on the duration of empiric CABP antibiotic therapy among patients with COVID-19.

methodsThis was a single-center, retrospective, quasi-experimental study of adult patients admitted between 3/1/2020 to 4/25/2020 with COVID-19 pneumonia, who were initiated on empiric CABP antibiotics. Patients were excluded if they were initiated on antibiotics > 48 h following admission or if another source of infection was identified. The primary outcome was the duration of antibiotic therapy (DOT) prior to the guideline (March 1 to March27, 2020) and after guideline implementation (March 28 to April 25, 2020). We also evaluated the clinical outcomes (mortality, readmissions, length of stay) among those initiated on empiric CABP antibiotics.

resultsA total of 506 patients with COVID-19 were evaluated, 102 pre-intervention and 404 post-intervention. Prior to the intervention, 74.5% (n = 76) of patients with COVID-19 received empiric antibiotics compared to only 42% of patients post-intervention (n = 170), p < 0.001. The median DOT in the post-intervention group was 1.3 days shorter (p < 0.001) than the pre-intervention group, and antibiotics directed at atypical bacteria DOT was reduced by 2.8 days (p < 0.001). More patients in the post-intervention group were initiated on antibiotics based on criteria consistent with our guideline (68% versus 87%, p = 0.001). There were no differences between groups in terms of clinical outcomes.

conclusionFollowing the implementation of a guideline outlining recommendations for initiating and discontinuing antibiotics for CABP among COVID-19 inpatients, we observed a reduction in antibiotic prescribing and DOT. The guideline also resulted in a significant increase in the rate of guideline-congruent empiric antibiotic initiation.

Indexed as

COVID-19 Drug TreatmentAdultAnti-Bacterial AgentsAntimicrobial StewardshipCoinfectionCommunity-Acquired InfectionsHospitalizationHumansInpatientsPneumonia, BacterialPractice Guidelines as TopicRetrospective StudiesAnti-Bacterial AgentsAntimicrobial stewardshipCOVID-19Pneumonia

Identifiers

PMID34078301
PMCPMC8170434
OpenAlexW3165545115

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.