Randolph, Vt.-based Gifford Medical Center achieved a 57 percent decrease in antibiotic use after implementing new protocols from the hospital's Antibiotic Stewardship Committee.
In 2018, the community hospital launched a major antibiotic stewardship initiative across its facilities led by the committee. Efforts included:
- Implementation of a 72-hour antibiotic timeout period in which providers halt antibiotic use to assess continued necessity and efficacy.
- Creation of hospital-specific quick reference guides for clinic and emergency department physicians.
- Improved provider education efforts, including status reports during division meetings.
- Use of a procalcitonin testing strategy to assess the use of antibiotics in lower respiratory infections.
As a result, the hospital has seen a downward trend in providers' antibiotic use. Gifford reported 496 days of antibiotic therapy per 1,000 patient days in April 2018, which fell to just 213 days in April 2019.