A Self-Reflection Stewardship Workshop Improves Resident Physician Understanding of Ambulatory Antibiotic Stewardship

Abstract

Background: Antibiotic stewardship programs (ASPs) have traditionally focused on inpatient prescribing, but they are now mandated to involve ambulatory settings. We developed and tested an educational tool in resident physicians to empower outpatient providers to perform self-reflection stewardship (SRS) to improve their antibiotic use. Results of the first SRS workshop are reported. Methods: A 90-minute SRS workshop focusing on the evaluation and management of sinusitis in ambulatory care was developed for PGY 2-3 internal medicine residents. Participants received a 15-minute didactic on the evaluation and management of adults with sinusitis, including typical microbiology, differentiation of bacterial sinusitis, and guideline recommendations on antibiotic treatment. In a computer lab, participants were instructed how to review charts of patients they had treated with antibiotics for sinusitis during the past year using the SlicerDicer application in Epic. Over 1 hour, they worked in pairs to complete and discuss a self-reflection inventory for 5 patients from each of their respective reviews. They evaluated pertinent history, comorbidities, presenting symptoms and signs, diagnostic testing performed, and a self-assessment of the subsequent antibiotic prescribing, including appropriateness of using an antibiotic, antibiotic choice and duration. In addition, they reflected on potential patient and prescriber challenges. Residents then identified common themes and developed a personal improvement plan for antibiotic prescribing for sinusitis. The last 15 minutes were spent debriefing with ASP faculty on reasons for overprescription of antibiotics for URIs and individual improvement plans. Residents completed workshop evaluations using a Likert scale and open-ended comments. Results: In total, 26 residents participated. All (100%) agreed or strongly agreed that the SRS workshop improved their understanding of how to obtain data on their own practice habits. Moreover, 23 (88%) agreed or strongly agreed that the workshop improved their understanding of when to prescribe antibiotics and how to practice antibiotic stewardship in the outpatient setting. Also, 20 participants (77%) agreed or strongly agreed that the SRS workshop helped them gain insight into reasons why they might overprescribe antibiotics in the outpatient setting. Furthermore, 25 (96%) agreed or strongly agreed that the SRS workshop helped them identify at least 1 way they could improve their antibiotic prescribing in the outpatient setting. Conclusions: The SRS workshop was well received by residents and offers a tool to empower primary care resident physicians to access their own antibiotic prescribing data, perform a structured self-reflection, and enhance their understanding of antibiotic stewardship in the ambulatory setting. SRS is a potential tool to improve ambulatory antibiotic use.

Disclosures: None

Funding: None