Intervention to Discontinue Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy in Patients Hospitalized with Pulmonary Infections: Effect on Shortening Patient Stay

Abstract

Current efforts to contain anti-microbial costs in hospitals are based on restricting drugs. We explored the effects of unsolicited case-specific recommendations to physicians to discontinue parenteral antimicrobial therapy in medically stable patients with pneumonia, in order to shorten hospital length of stay. A nurse-interventionist, working as an emissary of an appropriate committee in 3 nonteaching community hospitals, presented randomly assigned physicians with nonconfrontational suggestions to substitute comparable oral antimicrobials for parenteral antimicrobials. Blinded observers evaluated in-hospital and 30-day postdischarge courses of patients of physicians who had been contacted by the nurse (cases) and those who had not (controls). Eighty-two patient episodes (47 physicians) met study criteria. There were 53 cases and 29 controls. In 42 of 53 (79%) case episodes, physicians discontinued parenteral antimicrobials; patients' mean length of stay was 2.4 days less than for 29 control episodes (estimated cost savings was $884/patient). In 11 (21%) episodes, case physicians continued parenteral therapy; patients' mean length of stay was 1.9 days longer than for controls (estimated cost excess was $704/patient). Education, training and practice characteristics were comparable in physician groups. Severity of illness indicators and postdischarge outcomes were comparable in patient groups. The major cost-saving potential for shifting from parenteral to oral antimicrobial therapy is shortened length of stay. Timely information about alternative drug therapies, offered on a patient-specific basis, appears to modify the treating behavior of physicians. The program as currently conducted is cost-effective, with an estimated net savings of $50,000 per 100 interventions.