Impact of a multidisciplinary antimicrobial stewardship program on antibiotic utilization and clinical outcomes at a tertiary hospital in Saudi Arabia: a quasi-experimental study

Background: This study aims to assess the impact of a multidisciplinary antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) intervention on various metrics.Methods: A quasi-experimental study was performed on non-ICU patients for whom a restricted antibiotic was ordered. In September 2020, a prospective audit and feedback was implemented involving infectious disease clinical pharmacists, utilization of electronic resources, and improved documentation. Outcomes included defined daily dose and days of therapy per 100-patient days (DDD/100PD and DOT/100PD) and patient clinical outcomes.Results: 402 episodes were evaluated for 167 and 190 unique patients in the pre- and post-intervention phases, respectively. DDD/100PD and DOT/100PD were lower in the post-phase than in the pre-phase (1.75 vs. 2.54 and 16.13 vs. 44.93). Antibiotic de-escalation and clinical cure rates were significantly higher in the post-phase than in the pre-phase (62% vs. 40.6% and 83.5% vs. 65.8%; P < 0.001 for both comparisons). Hospital and ICU stays were significantly shorter in the post-phase (14 vs. 22 and 3 vs. 9, respectively; P < 0.001 for both comparisons). In-hospital mortality and 30-day readmission rates were lower in the post-phase (13% vs. 20.8%; P = 0.037 and 20.5% vs. 33.8%; P = 0.003, respectively).Conclusion: The implemented multidisciplinary ASP intervention was associated with a significant improvement in antibiotic utilization and patient clinical outcomes.