Nikolaos Spernovasilis1, Despo Ierodiakonou2,3, Christos Spanias4, Anna Mathioudaki5, Petros Ioannou5, Emmanouil C Petrakis5, Diamantis P Kofteridis1,5. 1. School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece. 2. Department of Social Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece. 3. Department of Primary Care and Population Health, University of Nicosia Medical School, Nicosia 2417, Cyprus. 4. Department of Pharmacy, University Hospital of Heraklion, 71110 Heraklion, Greece. 5. Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Heraklion, 71110 Heraklion, Greece.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Greece is among the European countries with the highest consumption of antibiotics, both in community and hospital settings, including last-line antibiotics, such as carbapenems. We sought to explore doctors' perceptions, attitudes and practices towards the management of patients with multidrug-resistant organism (MDRO) infections after the implementation of an antimicrobial stewardship programme (ASP) in a tertiary academic hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A self-administered, internet-based questionnaire survey was completed by doctors of the University Hospital of Heraklion in Crete, Greece. RESULTS: In total, 202 (59.1%) hospital doctors fully completed the questionnaire. Most of them agreed that the prospective audit and feedback ASP strategy is more effective and educational than the preauthorization ASP strategy. ASP implementation prompted most respondents to monitor the continuously evolving microbiological data of their patients more closely and affected them towards a multidisciplinary and personalised care of patients with infections caused by MDROs and towards a more rigorous implementation of infection prevention and control measures. The vast majority of participants (98.5%) stated that ASP must be continued and further developed during the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSION: The ASP implementation in our hospital had a beneficial impact on doctors' perceptions, attitudes and practices with regard to the management of infections due to MDROs.
BACKGROUND: Greece is among the European countries with the highest consumption of antibiotics, both in community and hospital settings, including last-line antibiotics, such as carbapenems. We sought to explore doctors' perceptions, attitudes and practices towards the management of patients with multidrug-resistant organism (MDRO) infections after the implementation of an antimicrobial stewardship programme (ASP) in a tertiary academic hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A self-administered, internet-based questionnaire survey was completed by doctors of the University Hospital of Heraklion in Crete, Greece. RESULTS: In total, 202 (59.1%) hospital doctors fully completed the questionnaire. Most of them agreed that the prospective audit and feedback ASP strategy is more effective and educational than the preauthorization ASP strategy. ASP implementation prompted most respondents to monitor the continuously evolving microbiological data of their patients more closely and affected them towards a multidisciplinary and personalised care of patients with infections caused by MDROs and towards a more rigorous implementation of infection prevention and control measures. The vast majority of participants (98.5%) stated that ASP must be continued and further developed during the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSION: The ASP implementation in our hospital had a beneficial impact on doctors' perceptions, attitudes and practices with regard to the management of infections due to MDROs.