Antibiotic prescribing in an English secondary care setting before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

An investigation into antimicrobial stewardship implementation prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic in a secondary care setting in England

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Observational

Source

ISRCTN

Registry ID

ISRCTN14825813

Enrollment

880

Registered

2022-05-23

Start date

2022-12-01

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2023-12-19

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Investigating the antibiotic use in patients with (COVID) pneumonia Infections and Infestations

Interventions

Current interventions as of 06/12/2023: Phase 1: The first phase will include reviewing medical records of patients prescribed antibiotics for RTIs or pneumonia before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: Phase 1 1. Adult patients 18 years and older. 2. Adult Pregnant women and immunocompromised patients. 3. Patients admitted at Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust. 4. Patient admitted in critical care areas between 2019 and 2020. 5. Patients who were prescribed antibiotics for RTIs or pneumonia. Phase 2 1. Healthcare professionals (doctors, nurses, and pharmacists). 2. Adults 18 years and older. 3. Registered with the relevant professional regulatory body; GMC, GPhC and NMC. 4. HCPs who worked during the COVID-19 pandemic and still working at the hospital.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: Phase 1: 1. Patients who were not prescribed antibiotics. 2. Children and patients admitted for less than 48-72 hours. Phase 2: 1. Doctors who worked before during the COVID-19 pandemic but not currently working at the Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust. 2. Pharmacists who worked before during the COVID-19 pandemic but not currently working at the Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust. 3. Nurses who worked before during the COVID-19 pandemic but not currently working at the Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust.

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Current primary outcome measure as of 06/12/2023: Phase 1: The prevalence of antibiotic prescribing before and during the pandemic, additionally, identify the Antibiotic stewardship (AMS) measured using the proportion of inappropriately prescribed antibiotics at admission, 48 and 72 hours before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Phase 2: Overall knowledge, attitudes and perceptions towards antibiotic prescribing during the pandemic, additionally, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the AMS activities during the pandemic. Previous primary outcome measure: Phase 1: Antibiotic stewardship (AMS) measured using the proportion of inappropriately prescribed antibiotics at admission, 48 and 72 hours before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Phase 2: Antibiotic prescribing behaviour of healthcare professionals measured using the range of knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions during the COVID-19 pandemic.	—

Measure

Time frame

Current primary outcome measure as of 06/12/2023: Phase 1: The prevalence of antibiotic prescribing before and during the pandemic, additionally, identify the Antibiotic stewardship (AMS) measured using the proportion of inappropriately prescribed antibiotics at admission, 48 and 72 hours before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Phase 2: Overall knowledge, attitudes and perceptions towards antibiotic prescribing during the pandemic, additionally, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the AMS activities during the pandemic. Previous primary outcome measure: Phase 1: Antibiotic stewardship (AMS) measured using the proportion of inappropriately prescribed antibiotics at admission, 48 and 72 hours before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Phase 2: Antibiotic prescribing behaviour of healthcare professionals measured using the range of knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Phase 1: 1.1. AMS strategies, such as IV-to-Oral switch, antibiotic discontinuation, de-escalation, dose adjustment, and antibiotic review based on the local guidelines measured using the proportion of strategies implemented before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. 1.2. Laboratory and diagnostic methods, such as chest x-rays, procalcitonin test, CRP, WBCs, and fever, measured using the proportion of their use in patients infected with RTIs or pneumonia before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Phase 2: Factors affecting the AMS implementation measured using the range of AMS practices during the COVID-19 pandemic.	—

Measure

Time frame

Phase 1: 1.1. AMS strategies, such as IV-to-Oral switch, antibiotic discontinuation, de-escalation, dose adjustment, and antibiotic review based on the local guidelines measured using the proportion of strategies implemented before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. 1.2. Laboratory and diagnostic methods, such as chest x-rays, procalcitonin test, CRP, WBCs, and fever, measured using the proportion of their use in patients infected with RTIs or pneumonia before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Phase 2: Factors affecting the AMS implementation measured using the range of AMS practices during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Countries

England

Contacts

Public ContactRasha Abdelsalam Elshenawy

dra21sha@gmail.com+44 (0) 7827711871

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026