BACKGROUND Atrial fibrillation is common in older people, and is associated with an increased risk of ischaemic stroke. Antithrombotic therapy reduces stroke-risk, but is known to be under-prescribed. OBJECTIVES To use an evidence-based indicator to audit antithrombotic prescribing for older hospital inpatients with atrial fibrillation, and to assess whether feedback of audit results to hospi...

BACKGROUND Antibiotics and proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are associated with Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). Both a computer order entry alert to highlight this association as well as antimicrobial stewardship directed prospective audit and feedback represent novel interventions to reduce the co-administration of antibiotics and PPIs among hospitalized patients. METHODS Consecutive pat...

OBJECTIVE To determine the feasibility of using electronic medical record (EMR) data to provide audit and feedback of antiretroviral therapy (ART) clinical guideline adherence to healthcare workers (HCWs) in Malawi. MATERIALS AND METHODS We evaluated recommendations from Malawi's ART guidelines using GuideLine Implementability Appraisal criteria. Recommendations that passed selected criteria ...

BACKGROUND Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a major health and financial burden. VTE impacts health outcomes in surgical and non-surgical patients. VTE prophylaxis is underutilized, particularly amongst high risk medical patients. We conducted a multicentre clinical audit to determine the extent to which appropriate VTE prophylaxis in acutely ill hospitalized medical patients could be improved v...

BACKGROUND The number of inappropriate prescriptions for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in Sudan is suspected to be high. Simple multifaceted interventions directed at prescribers may improve prescribing patterns in the Sudan. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of multifaceted interventions on prescribing for STIs in the White Nile State, Sudan. METHODS The study involved 20 health ce...

BACKGROUND Multicentre drug use evaluations are described in the literature infrequently and usually publish only the results. The purpose of this paper is to describe the experience of Queensland hospitals participating in the Community-Acquired Pneumonia Towards Improving Outcomes Nationally (CAPTION) project, specifically evaluating the implementation of this project, detailing benefits and ...

BACKGROUND The emergence of antibiotic-resistant organisms and the lack of development of new antimicrobials have made it imperative that additional strategies be developed to maintain the effectiveness of these existing antibiotics. The objective of this study was to describe the impact of a prospective-audit-with-feedback antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) on antibiotic use in a children...

BACKGROUND Although considerable evidence exists about the effectiveness of audit coupled with feedback, very few audit-with-feedback interventions have been done in either home care or supportive living settings to date. With little history of audit and feedback in home care or supportive living there is potential for greater effects, at least initially. This study extends the work of an earli...

BACKGROUND To impart principles of antimicrobial stewardship (AS) and infection prevention and control (IPC), we developed a curriculum tailored to the diverse aptitudes of learners at our medical center. METHODS We integrated case-based modules, group learning activities, smartphone applications (apps), decision support tools, and prescription audit and feedback into curricula of the medical...