Pharmacist-Led Antibiotic Intervention Decreases Hospital Readmissions

Hospital readmissions among patients with bone and joint infections who required prolonged antibiotics were significantly lower for those whose care included a pharmacist-led intervention compared with patients who received standard care alone, according to study findings published online ahead of print in Infectious Diseases Now.

“In 2020, pharmacist intervention was added to local standardized medical care,” wrote corresponding author Pauline Lazaro and coauthors from Poitiers Hospital University, France. “It includes medication reconciliation after bone and joint infection diagnosis, pharmacist-led intervention for bone and joint infection patients during hospital discharge, analysis of the hospital discharge prescription, and telehealth follow-up 6 weeks before infectious disease consultation.”

Researchers analyzed medical records for 164 patients for the study. Some 105 patients were admitted to the hospital’s orthopedic department with bone and joint infections in 2019 before the intervention began and made up the control group, and 59 patients were admitted with bone and joint infections after implementation of the intervention and were categorized as the intervention group. Patients in both groups had similar sociodemographic characteristics, infectious factors, and antibiotic regimens.

Rates of 6-month hospital readmissions were 22% for the control group compared with 5% for the intervention group, according to the study. Antibiotic therapy changes after 6 weeks were also significantly lower for the intervention group: 15.3%, compared with 28.6% for the control group.

“Pharmacist expertise on patient habits, compliance, and self-treatment autonomy is of key importance in the choice of antibiotic therapy,” researchers advised. “Pharmacists attendance at multidisciplinary meetings is equally crucial.”

Reference:
Marque P, Le Moal G, Labarre C, et al. Assessment of the impact of pharmacist-led intervention with antibiotics in patients with bone and joint infection. Infect Dis Now. Published online February 2, 2023. doi:10.1016/j.idnow.2023.104671