Abstract:Background
The literature regarding diverticular disease of the intestines (DDI) almost entirely concerns hospital-based care; DDI managed in primary care settings is rarely addressed.
Aim
To estimate how often DDI is managed in primary care, using antibiotics dispensing data.
Design and setting
Hospitalisation records of New Zealand residents aged 30+ years during 2007–2016 were individually linked to databases of community-dispensed oral an… Show more
“…26 Antibiotic use in uncomplicated acute diverticulitis has been identified as an area in which prescribing practices could change based on new evidence. 27 Given that patients with diverticular disease continue to have high antibiotic exposure in the community, 28 this potentially represents a significant reduction in unnecessary antibiotic use.…”
BACKGROUND & AIMS: Antibiotic treatment is the standard care for patients with uncomplicated acute diverticulitis. However, this practice is based on low-level evidence and has been challenged by findings from 2 randomized trials, which did not include a placebo group. We investigated the non-inferiority of placebo vs antibiotic treatment for the management of uncomplicated acute diverticulitis. METHODS: In the selective treatment with antibiotics for non-complicated diverticulitis study, 180 patients hospitalized for uncomplicated acute diverticulitis (determined by computed tomography, Hinchey 1a grade) from New Zealand and Australia were randomly assigned to groups given antibiotics (n [ 85) or placebo (n [ 95) for 7 days. We collected demographic, clinical, and laboratory data and answers to questionnaires completed every 12 hrs for the first 48 hrs and then daily until hospital discharge. The primary endpoint was length of hospital stay; secondary endpoints included occurrence of adverse events, readmission to the hospital, procedural intervention, change in serum markers of inflammation, and patient-reported pain scores at 12 and 24 hrs. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in median time of hospital stay between the antibiotic group (40.0 hrs; 95% CI, 24.4-57.6 hrs) and the placebo group (45.8 hrs; 95% CI, 26.5-60.2 hrs) (P [ .2). There were no significant differences between groups in adverse events (12% for both groups; P [ 1.0), readmission to the hospital within 1 week (1% for the placebo group vs 6% for the antibiotic group; P [ .1), and readmission to the hospital within 30 days (11% for the placebo group vs 6% for the antibiotic group; P [ .3). CONCLUSIONS: Foregoing antibiotic treatment did not prolong length of hospital admission. This result provides strong evidence for omission of antibiotics for selected patients with uncomplicated acute diverticulitis. ACTRN: 12615000249550.
“…26 Antibiotic use in uncomplicated acute diverticulitis has been identified as an area in which prescribing practices could change based on new evidence. 27 Given that patients with diverticular disease continue to have high antibiotic exposure in the community, 28 this potentially represents a significant reduction in unnecessary antibiotic use.…”
BACKGROUND & AIMS: Antibiotic treatment is the standard care for patients with uncomplicated acute diverticulitis. However, this practice is based on low-level evidence and has been challenged by findings from 2 randomized trials, which did not include a placebo group. We investigated the non-inferiority of placebo vs antibiotic treatment for the management of uncomplicated acute diverticulitis. METHODS: In the selective treatment with antibiotics for non-complicated diverticulitis study, 180 patients hospitalized for uncomplicated acute diverticulitis (determined by computed tomography, Hinchey 1a grade) from New Zealand and Australia were randomly assigned to groups given antibiotics (n [ 85) or placebo (n [ 95) for 7 days. We collected demographic, clinical, and laboratory data and answers to questionnaires completed every 12 hrs for the first 48 hrs and then daily until hospital discharge. The primary endpoint was length of hospital stay; secondary endpoints included occurrence of adverse events, readmission to the hospital, procedural intervention, change in serum markers of inflammation, and patient-reported pain scores at 12 and 24 hrs. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in median time of hospital stay between the antibiotic group (40.0 hrs; 95% CI, 24.4-57.6 hrs) and the placebo group (45.8 hrs; 95% CI, 26.5-60.2 hrs) (P [ .2). There were no significant differences between groups in adverse events (12% for both groups; P [ 1.0), readmission to the hospital within 1 week (1% for the placebo group vs 6% for the antibiotic group; P [ .1), and readmission to the hospital within 30 days (11% for the placebo group vs 6% for the antibiotic group; P [ .3). CONCLUSIONS: Foregoing antibiotic treatment did not prolong length of hospital admission. This result provides strong evidence for omission of antibiotics for selected patients with uncomplicated acute diverticulitis. ACTRN: 12615000249550.
“…The result was that antibiotic use in primary care not only doubled over the years after an acute admission compared with controls but was also higher before admission. 85…”
The transition from intravenous (IV) antibiotic therapy to oral therapy and the observation that in patients with acute uncomplicated diverticulitis (AUD), treatment with or without antibiotics gave similar results in both hospitalized and outpatients, opened the way for out-of-hospital treatment in selected patients with CT-confirmed diagnosis. Due to economic constraints and a growing demand for hospitalization, home hospital care (HAH) and other community-based services was supported to alleviate the burden on emergency departments (EDs). This resulted in significant cost savings for the National Health Service (NHS) but, in many countries, community services are not uniformly present, leading to health care inequality. Relationships between hospital and community doctors indicate poor professional communication. Shared guidelines could lead to increased adherence. Some conditional recommendations based on low-certainty evidence related to the diagnosis and management of AUD remain controversial. Even after recovery from an episode, the question of whether to pursue conservative management or elective surgery is still open for debate. The outpatient treatment is understood as referring to both patients managed by hospital doctors and those treated by general physicians in their office. On management and outcomes of patients with AUD diagnosis in primary care there is little data. AUD treatment without antibiotics encounters resistance in many countries for multiple reasons, including low implementation and uncertain dissemination of guidelines recommendations. This would require greater control and commitment on the part of Institutional bodies and scientific societies.
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