Evidence Based QUality Improvement for Prescribing Stewardship in ICU (EQUIPS-ICU)

Trial statusRecruiting
Trial phaseNot listed
Trial typeObservational
Biological sexAll
Age18+
SponsorUniversity of Oxford

About this trial

The goal of this observational study is to learn about the implementation of a process to review antimicrobial prescriptions for adult patients in Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

The main question it aims to answer is: can a structured antimicrobial review can be implemented in ICUs?

Implementation will be supported by the use of local protocols, audit and feedback, and education. It will be evaluated by daily data collection of clinical processes and interviews with local champions.

Resources to conduct the study are provided by the Wellcome Flagship Innovations award. ("Collaboration for Research, Implementation and Training in Critical Care in Asia and Africa", reference 224048/Z/21/Z).

Eligibility criteria

This trial accepts healthy volunteers

Qualifiers

All adult ICUs within CCAA-affiliated Care Quality Registries

ICUs must appoint a named Champion to facilitate implementation

All antimicrobial prescriptions for adult patients within the ICUs described above

Disqualifiers

None

Trial population

All adult ICUs within CCAA-affiliated CQRs, where surveillance of antimicrobial utilisation has already been established will be considered for participation. ICUs must appoint a named Champion in order to participate. A survey will be conducted to determine pre-existing prescribing practice and the presence, characteristics and current adoption of structured review activities. Pre-existing antimicrobial review processes are neither a requirement for an ICU to participate nor an exclusion criterion. Instead, parallel to the survey, pre-implementation patient-level data pertaining to current antimicrobial prescribing review practices will be measured during months 1-2. ICU's which are found to already have a structured antimicrobial review in place, and which demonstrate adoption and reach of 80% or greater (median over the 2 months) will not be eligible to participate in the implementation to reduce confounding of the selected measures for implementation success.

Trial design

Design model

Cohort

Time perspective

Prospective

Treatments tested in this trial

  • Structured antimicrobial review

    Behavioral

    The appropriateness of the documented indication, route of administration, expected duration and stop date of all antimicrobials will be reviewed within 48 hours of their prescription.

Treatment groups

No treatment groups listed

Trial outcomes

Primary outcomes

1

Fidelity

The proportion of prescriptions reviewed as intended (reviewed within 48hours with documentation of all 4 review components: indication, route, duration, stop date). Reported as a proportion of the number of possible reviews.

Time frame
Evaluated over calendar month periods during months 4-6 (i.e. the three months immediately following implementation)
2

Reach

Proportion of eligible patients who receive a review

Time frame
Evaluated over calendar month periods during months 4-6 (i.e. the three months immediately following implementation)
3

Adoption

Proportion of prescriptions reviewed as intended once implementation support has been withdrawn

Time frame
Evaluated over the calendar month period of month 7

Secondary outcomes

1

Antimicrobial Density (AD)

Defined Daily Dose / 1000 patient-days. This measure of antimicrobial consumption will compare prescribed daily doses of antimicrobials to those specified by the World Health Organization (WHO) (Anatomical Therapeutic Classification (ATC) J01 Defined Daily Doses). To correct for ICU unit size the investigators will standardise by number of admitted patient-days during that month in that ICU.

Time frame
Evaluated over calendar month periods during months 1-7 of the study.
2

Duration of Therapy

Number of Days of antimicrobial Therapy / 1000 patient-days Analysed at the ICU level

Time frame
Evaluated over calendar month periods during months 1-7 of the study
3

Antimicrobial Redundancy Rate

Days of Therapy of prespecified redundant combinations of antimicrobials. Analysed at the ICU level.

Time frame
Evaluated over calendar month periods during months 1-7 of the study
4

Antimicrobial resistance rate

Number of multidrug-resistant pathogens (as specified by WHO priority list) / number of patients

Time frame
Evaluated over calendar month periods during months 1-7 of the study

Other outcomes

Sponsors and contacts

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University of Oxford

Lead sponsor

Nat Intensive Care Surveillence-MORU

Collaborator