Development and implementation of "handshake rounds": An antibiotic stewardship intervention for hospitalized adult patients with hematologic malignancies.

OBJECTIVE

To design and implement "handshake rounds" as an antibiotic stewardship intervention to reduce inpatient intravenous (IV) antibiotic use in patients with hematologic malignancies.

DESIGN

Quasi-experimental analysis of antibiotic use (AU) and secondary outcomes before and and after handshake rounds were implemented.

SETTING

Quaternary-care, academic medical center.

PATIENTS

Hospitalized adults with hematologic malignancies receiving IV antibiotics.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective review of a preintervention cohort prior to the intervention. A multidisciplinary team developed criteria for de-escalation of antibiotics, logistics of handshake rounds, and outcome metrics. Eligible patients were discussed during scheduled handshake rounds between a hematology-oncology pharmacist and transplant-infectious diseases (TID) physician. Prospective data were collected over 30 days in the postintervention cohort. Due to small sample size, 2:1 matching was used to compare pre- to and postintervention AU. Total AU in days of therapy per 1,000 patient days (DOT/1,000 PD) was reported. Mean AU per patient was analyzed using Wilcoxon rank-sum test. A descriptive analysis of secondary outcomes of pre- and postintervention cohorts was performed.

RESULTS

Total AU was substantially lower after the intervention, with 517 DOT/1,000 PD compared to 865 DOT/1,000 PD before the intervention. There was no statistically significant difference in the mean AU per patient between the 2 cohorts. There was a lower rate of 30-day mortality in the postintervention cohort and rates of ICU admissions were similar.

CONCLUSIONS

Conducting handshake rounds is a safe and effective way to implement an antibiotic stewardship intervention among high-risk patient population such as those with hematologic malignancies.