HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Itokazu, G. S. Articles by Weinstein, R. A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Itokazu, G. S. Articles by Weinstein, R. A.

GAIL S. ITOKAZU, PHARM.D., is Clinical Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), and Clinical Pharmacist, John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County, Chicago. DAVID N. SCHWARTZ, M.D., is Senior Attending Physician, Division of Infectious Diseases, John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County, and Associate Professor of Medicine, Rush Medical College, Chicago. KEVIN W. GAREY, PHARM.D., is Assistant Professor, College of Pharmacy, University of Houston, Houston, TX. KEITH A. RODVOLD, PHARM.D., is Professor of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy, and Assistant Professor of Medicine in Pharmacy, College of Medicine; and LARRY H. DANZIGER, PHARM.D., is Professor of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy, and Assistant Professor of Medicine in Pharmacy, College of Medicine, UIC. ROBERT A. WEINSTEIN, M.D., is Chairman, Division of Infectious Diseases, John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County, and Professor of Medicine, Rush Medical College.

Address correspondence to Dr. Itokazu at the Division of Infectious Diseases, John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County, 1901 West Harrison Street, Chicago, IL 60612 (gitokazu{at}uic.edu).

Purpose. The perceptions of the effectiveness of antimicrobial control programs (ACPs) among infectious diseases (ID) pharmacists were studied. Methods. A survey asking pharmacists to characterize the ACP in their hospitals and rate the program’s effectiveness was distributed electronically in 1999 and by regular mail in 2000 to all 365 members of the Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists residing in North America. Results. Of the 365 surveys distributed, 323 (88.5%) were completed, 233 of which were eligible for analysis. Most respondents (99%) indicated the use of one or more ACP components (mean ± S.D., 4.3 ± 1.9) in their hospitals. The ACP components used most frequently included prescriber education, review of patient medical records, formularies, prior authorization, infectious diseases consultation, and clinical practice guidelines. A similar percentage of respondents indicated that ID pharmacists and ID physicians directly participated in implementing and monitoring the effectiveness of ACPs (57% and 58%, respectively). Of the 231 respondents whose hospitals had an ACP, 73% perceived that their ACP effectively addressed antimicrobial resistance, patient outcomes, or costs, with cost reduction viewed as being accomplished more often than the improvement of patient outcomes or containment of antimicrobial resistance (62%, 35%, and 38%, respectively; p < 0.001). Many indicated uncertainty regarding the effectiveness of their ACP, with a substantial percentage of respondents believing that the level of support for these programs was inadequate. Conclusion. ID pharmacists in 231 North American hospitals perceived that their ACP was not suffciently effective at improving patient outcomes, containing antimicrobial resistance, and decreasing medication costs, possibly due to inadequate institutional support for the program. Index terms: Antiinfective agents; Control; Costs; Data collection; Economics; Hospitals; Outcomes; Pharmacists, hospital; Protocols; Resistance