Effect of an Intensified Antibiotic Stewardship Program at an Orthopedic Surgery Department

Background: Institutional programs such as antibiotic stewardship (ABS) programs offer possibilities to monitor and modify antibiotic usage with the aim of reducing antibiotic resistance. In orthopedic units that treat peri-prosthetic joint infections (PJIs), ABS programs are still rare, however, there is extensive use of high-risk antibiotic agents and an increased risk for the occurrence of Clostridium difficile infections (CDIs). Patients and Methods: An ABS program was implemented at the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at a university hospital. Quarterly antibiotic consumption was measured in defined daily doses (DDDs) per 100 patient-days (PDs) at 10 quarters before the intervention and seven quarters after the intervention. The effect of the new antibiotic policy on drug use rates was evaluated using an interrupted time-series analysis. Estimated changes over time in the incidence of CDIs (cases per 1,000 PDs) were analyzed. Results: A remarkable percentual reduction in second-generation cephalosporin use of 83% (p