Antibiogram Development for Aged Care Facilities in Australia
Author Information
Author(s): Khatri Dipti, Falconer Nazanin, Coulter Sonali, Gray Leonard C., Paterson David L., Freeman Christopher
Primary Institution: UQ Centre for Health Service Research, The University of Queensland
Hypothesis
This study aimed to explore the feasibility of antibiogram development for residential aged care facilities (RACFs).
Conclusion
Extended time period antibiograms can provide RACF specific resistance data without the need for private pathology provider input.
Supporting Evidence
- Pooling data from geographically similar RACFs allowed for sufficient urinary and skin swab isolates.
- Annual antibiograms were not feasible for individual RACFs due to insufficient isolate counts.
- Extending the time-period of antibiograms improved feasibility for the most prevalent microorganisms.
Takeaway
The study found that combining data from nearby aged care facilities can help create useful antibiograms to guide antibiotic use.
Methodology
Retrospective observational study analyzing culture and sensitivity data from nine RACFs over three years.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to reliance on available data from pathology providers and the possibility of including asymptomatic colonization results.
Limitations
Data collection was manual, which may have led to missing results, and the study focused only on the most prevalent urinary and skin/soft tissue isolates.
Participant Demographics
Mean age of residents was 86.3 years, with 76.6% of samples from female residents.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.04
Confidence Interval
95% CI for %S was wide due to low isolate counts.
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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