Impact of Selective Reporting of Antibiotic Susceptibility Test Results on Antibiotic Use in Patients with Bloodstream Infection with Streptococcus pneumoniae

Abstract

Introduction: Invasive pneumococcal disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in infectious diseases. Selective reporting of antibiotic susceptibility test results might lead to a tailored antibiotic therapy and could therefore be an important antibiotic stewardship program intervention. The aim of this study was to analyse whether a switch to selective reporting of antibiotic test results leads to a more focused antibiotic therapy in patients with a bloodstream infection with Streptococcus pneumoniae. Methods: This study was performed as a retrospective cohort study at the University Hospital Regensburg, Germany. All blood cultures positive for Streptococcus pneumoniae between 2006 and 2021 were analysed. In 2014, a switch to selective reporting of antibiotic susceptibility test results omitting sensitivity results for agents not recommended was introduced. Results: Twenty-four hours after final antibiotic susceptibility test results were available, 20.9% before (BI) versus 15.4% after implementation (AI) of selective reporting of antibiotic test results received a narrow-spectrum penicillin, while only 2.3% BI versus 5.8% AI received a narrow-spectrum penicillin from the beginning. Conclusion: Selective reporting of antibiotic susceptibility test results without further antimicrobial stewardship interventions did not lead to a higher use of a narrow-spectrum penicillin in this study.