Evaluation and Analysis of the Rationality of Clinical Use of Carbapenems in Surgical Departments of a Tertiary Hospital in Southwest China

Zhongyue Huang; Gaoqiong Yao; Chengzhi Zhang; Xin Zhou; Guanyang Zou; Chao Zhuo

doi:10.2147/IDR.S403787

Evaluation and Analysis of the Rationality of Clinical Use of Carbapenems in Surgical Departments of a Tertiary Hospital in Southwest China

Infect Drug Resist. 2023 Apr 17:16:2259-2269. doi: 10.2147/IDR.S403787. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Zhongyue Huang^#¹, Gaoqiong Yao^#², Chengzhi Zhang², Xin Zhou², Guanyang Zou^#³, Chao Zhuo^#⁴

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Medical Information/Medical Library, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
² Department of Pharmacy, First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, People's Republic of China.
³ School of Public Health and Management, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China.
⁴ State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Purpose: With the increasing frequency and intensity of carbapenem consumption, carbapenem-resistant organisms (CRO) have become a focus of anti-infection research. This study aimed to evaluate the rationality of the clinical use of carbapenems among inpatients in the surgical departments of a tertiary hospital in southwest China.

Patients and methods: A point-score system was established for evaluation based on the clinical practices in surgical departments and selected carbapenem prescriptions from June 2020 to June 2021 for hepatobiliary surgery, gastrointestinal surgery, and neurosurgery in the study hospital. Prescriptions with a total score ≥ 270 were defined as rational. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the characteristics and rationality of the prescriptions. The chi-square test, Mann-Whitney U-test, and Kruskal-Wallis H-test were used to compare characteristics between rational and irrational prescriptions. Linear regression analysis was used to determine the factors affecting the rationality of carbapenem prescriptions.

Results: According to 192 carbapenem prescription records, the median age of patients was 62 years [IQR, 48.0-73.0], and 20% of patients had abdominal infections, 10% had lung infections, 14% had intracranial infections, and 3% had urinary tract infections. 56% of carbapenem prescriptions were irrational. Compared with rational carbapenem prescriptions, irrational prescriptions had a higher proportion of those with inappropriate indications (49% vs 0%, p < 0.05), incorrect variety selection (15% vs 0%, p<0.05), and unreasonable assessment of etiology and efficacy (46% vs 8%, p < 0.05). Linear regression analysis suggested that the diagnosis of cholecystitis (standardized regression coefficient=0.183, p<0.05) and replaced medication (standardized regression coefficient = 0.154, p<0.05) influenced the rationality of carbapenem prescriptions.

Conclusion: Our study shows that the irrational use of carbapenems deserves attention, especially in surgical departments. Interventions for carbapenem use that are based on evaluation criteria should be developed to reduce the emergence and spread of carbapenem-resistant bacteria.

Keywords: carbapenem; prescription review; surgery.

Grants and funding

This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Number 81861138056), the National Social Science Foundation of China (Grant Number 20&ZD122), the Investigator-Initiated Trial Fund of The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University (Grant Number DSPC-MPM002).