Determining the Efficacy of Antibiotic Stewardship Programs in the Metropolitan Atlanta Area: The Need to Identify Quantifiable Measures for Success

Date of Award

2016

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

First Advisor

Valerie E Cadet, PhD

Second Advisor

Murray R Berkowitz, DO

Third Advisor

Edo-abasi U McGee

Fourth Advisor

Brian Matayoshi, PhD

Abstract

Background: Drug-resistance is an emanating healthcare threat, which if left unaddressed has the likelihood to run rampant and devastate mass quantities of populations coming into contact with resistant pathogens. With the lack of innovation from the pharmaceutical sector, Antibiotic Stewardship Programs (ASPs) have been proposed as an alternative solution to drug-resistance as the search for new antibiotics continues. Rationale: ASPs face many challenges in the areas of standardization, regulation, and effective implementation. The development of a study that will identify measurable benchmarks and outcomes will help to build a foundation for the standardization of ASPs nationally. Ultimately these benchmarks and outcomes will aid in reducing the rates of antibiotic resistance prevalence currently being seen today. Methods: A quantitative method was used to design and create structured surveys and a semi-structured interview to be further utilized in a proposed study to generate quantifiable measures for standardization of ASPs. Two twenty-five-question surveys were created and will be administered throughout the data collection period. The first survey will be distributed at the start of the data collection process and the second survey will be administered after the site-specific semi-structured interviews. Data collected will be analyzed using Qualtrics and excel analysis tools. Data and Results: Preliminary data suggests a positive correlation between ASP usage and a decline in standardized infection ratios, which can be explored using the structured surveys created through this study. Through this study the researcher anticipates that in addition to results similar to prior published studies, new data specific to this study will be revealed. It is expected that the data generated will produce at least one, though likely several quantifiable measures using the proposed study outlined. Conclusion: The IRB application required to begin this study has been completed and the structured surveys necessary for this study have been successfully created. However, there is need to complete the study and for further research into ASPs and how to address the current existing issues. With future studies like the one presented in this thesis there is the potential to revolutionize how ASP standardization, regulation, and implementation effectiveness are assessed for future improvements.

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