Background: Inappropriate antibiotic use promotes antibiotic resistance which poses a threat to public health. Outpatient settings are responsible for 80-90% of all antibiotic use, yet up to 50% of these prescriptions may be inappropriate and at least 33% completely unnecessary. To promote outpatient antibiotic stewardship (AS), the Philadelphia Department of Public Health (PDPH) identified outpatient high-volume prescribers (HVPs) in Philadelphia and provided them with peer comparison letters along with evidence-based AS educational resources. Method: We identified HVPs using overall and drug specific antibiotic volume and rates from the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Part D Prescribers by Provider and by Provider and Drug publicly available datasets for 2021. We restricted analyses to Philadelphia prescribers specializing in internal medicine, family practice, or general practice with antibiotic and beneficiary claim counts ≥ 11. We further restricted the Provider and Drug dataset to prescribers of high-consequence drugs: levofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, and azithromycin. Prescribers with subspecialities where these three drugs are commonly used appropriately were excluded from letter distribution. We analyzed U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) data for overall HVPs on census tract-level to describe health equity demographic characteristics. Result: A total of 1,001 prescribers with 67,145 total antibiotic claims, and 306 unique prescribers (77 levofloxacin, 176 ciprofloxacin, and 250 azithromycin) with 37,057 total antibiotic claims met the inclusion criteria in the Provider and the Provider and Drug datasets, respectively. There were 101 overall HVPs, and 89 unique drug-specific HVPs (20 levofloxacin, 45 ciprofloxacin, and 63 azithromycin) based on the highest 10% and 25% of prescribers by antibiotic volume, respectively. The overall HVPs contributed 42.0% of all antibiotic claims. The drug-specific HVPs contributed 60.5% of all antibiotic claims and 55.5% of levofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, and azithromycin claims. These 3 drugs contributed 45.1% of all antibiotic claims. Among the overall and drug-specific HVPs, we sent peer comparison letters to the top 10 by rate per 1,000 beneficiaries (overall) and per 1,000 antibiotic claims (drug-specific), who fell within the following prescribing rates: overall 954-2,714, levofloxacin 84-396, ciprofloxacin 288-723, and azithromycin 496-1,000. Conclusion: This initiative identified prescribers at risk for inappropriate use of antibiotics, and empowered these same prescribers to self-reflect on how they prescribe antibiotics. Efforts by local health departments to provide HVPs with peer comparison feedback and AS educational resources may improve the provider knowledge and prescribing habits across different healthcare systems, targeting prescribers at highest risk for misuse or overuse of antibiotics.

Disclosure: Jane Gould: Spouse receives salary support- Incyte

The vulnerability of patients on hemodialysis (HD) to infections is evident by their increased susceptibility to infections in general and to resistant organisms in particular. Unnecessary, inappropriate, or suboptimal antimicrobial prescribing is common in dialysis units. This underscores the need for dedicated antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) interventions that can be implemented both in the inpatient and outpatient settings. In this review, we provide a comprehensive approach for clinicians with the most updated coordinated AMS principles in HD setting in six areas: prevention, diagnosis, treatment, education and empowerment, monitoring, and research.

Background: Many US hospitals have stopped universal masking and testing all patients on admission for SARS-CoV-2. We assessed the association of ending universal masking and admission testing with the incidence of hospital-onset SARS-CoV-2 infections in five Massachusetts hospitals. Method: We conducted a retrospective study of all patients admitted between March 6, 2020 and December 14, 2023 and identified hospital-onset SARS-CoV-2 infections (newly positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR tests >4d after arrival) and community-onset infections (newly positive ≤4d after arrival). We excluded cases if local infection control teams discontinued precautions within 4d (suggesting a false positive or remote/resolved infection). We calculated weekly ratios between hospital-onset and community-onset SARS-CoV-2 cases to account for changes in community SARS-CoV-2 incidence over time. We then performed interrupted time series analysis, looking for changes in the ratio of hospital-onset to community-onset cases across three periods: pre-Omicron period with universal testing and masking in place (March 6, 2020–Dec 16, 2021); Omicron period with universal testing and masking in place (Dec 17, 2021–May 11, 2023); and Omicron period without universal testing and masking (May 12, 2023–Dec 14, 2023). We performed medical record reviews on 100 randomly selected hospital-onset cases after May 12, 2023 to examine if community-onset cases were being misclassified as hospital-onset cases. Result: During the study period, there were 626,908 patient admissions, including 24,980 with community-onset and 1,510 with hospital-onset SARS-CoV-2 infections. The mean weekly ratio of new hospital-onset to community-onset SARS-CoV-2 infections rose from 2.6% before Omicron, to 8.5% (95% CI, 7.0–9.9%) during Omicron, to 17% (95% CI, 15–19%) after universal admission testing and masking ended (Figure 1). There was a significant immediate level change after the pre-Omicron-to-Omicron transition (140% relative increase; 95% CI, 40–240%) and after universal admission testing and masking ended (110% relative increase; 95% CI, 73–150%). On medical record review of 100 randomly selected hospital-onset SARS-CoV-2 cases after universal admission testing had ended, 89% had new symptoms at the time of testing, 80% had PCR cycle thresholds ≤30, 27% had a known COVID-19 exposure, and 97% met at least one of these criteria. In-hospital mortality occurred in 8% of the 100 reviewed cases. Conclusion: Stopping universal masking and admission testing of all hospitalized patients at five Massachusetts hospitals was associated with a significant increase in hospital-onset COVID-19. Nosocomial COVID-19 remains a common complication of hospital care. Preventing nosocomial infections in this vulnerable population remains an important safety goal.

Disclosure: Theodore Pak: Founder/CEO - The East Harlem Software Company, Inc.

Background: Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, health equity stipulates all have a fair, just opportunity to attain their highest level of health. Limited evidence exists for disparities in health equity and healthcare-associated infections (HAI), with no evidence on language or primary insurance payor. While reviewing quality metrics, a disparity signal in central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) prompted a multidisciplinary deep dive, with iterative analyses to understand potential inequities to identify improvement opportunities. Methods: CLABSI data was stratified and analyzed for evidence of disparity by race/ethnicity, primary insurance payor, and preferred spoken language utilizing an internal methodology. Subsequent analyses included a root cause analysis (RCA), case mix index (CMI) analysis, analysis of CLABSI Kamishibai card (K-card) rounding to monitor maintenance bundle reliability, and comparison of distribution of central venous catheter (CVC) line days to K-card audits [Figure 1]. Chi-square tests were used to test for significant differences for categorical variables in RCA and K-card analyses. ANOVA was used to compare CMI between demographic groups. Multiple logistic regression was used to compare K-card compliance rates by demographic groups. Results: When stratifying CLABSI rate by primary payor, pairwise comparisons indicated patients with a public payor had a statistically higher rate of CLABSI compared to private (p=0.02) [Figure 2A]. RCA analysis revealed when compared to patients with private payors, those with public had significantly higher rates of overdue needless connector changes (p = 0.03) and increased number of daily CVC entries (p = 0.05), while patients speaking another language (p = 0.02) were significantly more likely to have CVC contamination events. CMI analyses on CLABSI cases did not show patient acuity to vary significantly between demographics. Bivariate analysis of K-card data revealed minor differences in reliability with 7 Core Maintenance Bundle Elements by demographics; adjusting for all demographics and accounting for unit, pairwise comparisons indicated public payors had significantly higher compliance than international [Figure 2B]. We found no major differences in demographic distribution of CVC line days compared to K-card audits, suggesting we representatively audit maintenance bundle process measures. Conclusions: Our review of health equity in CLABSI events ultimately led to subsequent questions requiring analysis of other data sets. Utilizing an exploratory approach and assembling a multidisciplinary team to identify potential drivers of identified disparities adds value to health equity analyses. This is the first description of HAI data beyond race and ethnicity and can assist other institutions in their process of evaluating healthcare disparities and HAIs.

Advancement in solid organ transplantation and hematopoietic stem cell transplant continues to improve the health outcomes of patients and widens the number of eligible patients who can benefit from the medical progress. Preserving the effectiveness of antimicrobials remains crucial, as otherwise transplant surgeries would be unsafe due to surgical site infections, and the risk of sepsis with neutropenia would preclude stem cell transplant. In this review, we provide updates on three previously discussed stewardship challenges: febrile neutropenia, Clostridioides difficile infection, and asymptomatic bacteriuria. We also offer insight into four new stewardship challenges: the applicability of the “shorter is better” paradigm shift to antimicrobial duration; antibiotic allergy delabeling and desensitization; colonization with multidrug-resistant gram-negative organisms; and management of cytomegalovirus infections. Specifically, data are accumulating for “shorter is better” and antibiotic allergy delabeling in transplant patients, following successes in the general population. Unique to transplant patients are the impact of multidrug-resistant organism colonization on clinical decision-making of antibiotic prophylaxis in transplant procedure and the need for antiviral stewardship in cytomegalovirus. We highlighted the expansion of antimicrobial stewardship interventions as potential solutions for these challenges, as well as gaps in knowledge and opportunities for further research.

We conducted a tabletop exercise on influenza outbreak preparedness that engaged a large group of congregate living settings (CLS), with improvements in self-reported knowledge and readiness. This proactive approach to responding to communicable disease threats has potential to build infection prevention and control capacity beyond COVID-19 in the CLS sector.

Introduction: Social disparities have been shown to impact a wide variety of healthcare outcomes. Surgical site infections (SSIs) are associated with substantial patient morbidity, but studies on the intersection of social disparity and SSI are limited. We sought to evaluate the association between SSI and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s social vulnerability index (SVI). Methods: Patients with National Health Safety Network (NHSN) procedure codes for colon, abdominal hysterectomy, hip prosthesis, knee prosthesis and spinal fusion surgeries were retrieved from the electronic medical records of 20 hospitals across 4 geographic markets. SSIs were identified by trained infection preventionists using NHSN definitions. Descriptive statistics were used for baseline demographic and clinical characteristics. Univariate logistic regression was performed to assess the association of demographic, clinical, and procedural factors with the outcome of SSI. Further univariate subgroup analysis was completed by procedure. To account for the nonlinear relationship between the social vulnerability index and SSIs, smoothing splines were used in a Bayesian hierarchical logistic regression model, with random effects to account for the different market practices. Nonlinear effects of procedure duration were also investigated while adjusting for the patient age, procedure type, and health system market. Results: 23,864 surgical procedures among 22,319 unique patients identified between 1 August 2022 and 31 August 2023. 96 patients with infection present at time of surgery were excluded. The study population was mostly white (74%) and female (65%) (Table 1). Less than 13% of the patients had more than one procedure during this time. In a univariate analysis, we found evidence of market and procedure effects, with colon surgery being associated with the highest odds of SSI. Procedure duration was significantly associated with SSI in both univariate and multivariable models, with a drastic increase in the odds of SSI for procedures > 150 mins. In the multivariable model we found that SVIs lower than 0.4 (95% CI 0.28 to 0.55) are associated with an adjusted odds ratio (aOR) < 1. (Figure 1) Conclusions: Our study shows that the relationship of social vulnerability and adverse outcomes is highly complex with nonlinear dynamics at play. After adjusting for procedure type, duration, patient age, gender and health system market the odds of SSIs increase sharply in patients with higher SVI until leveling off at an elevated risk.

Background: The CDC recommends that nurses improve the evaluation of penicillin allergies as part of antimicrobial stewardship programs. We evaluated the feasibility of a multifaceted implementation strategy to improve nurses’ documentation of penicillin allergy histories and to encourage nurses to notify prescribers of patients with low-risk symptoms of reported penicillin allergy. The implementation strategy was guided by the COM-B model of behavior change and addressed nurses’ capability, opportunity, and motivation to implement practices (Figure 1). The implementation strategy included education on the STORY mnemonic that details the questions of a penicillin allergy history, education on low-risk symptoms of penicillin allergy, dot phrases in EPIC to facilitate nurses’ documentation of STORY and communication of patients with low-risk penicillin allergy symptoms, and educational pocket cards and flyers. We define feasibility as the implementation and acceptability of practices. Methods: This was a six-month feasibility study conducted in an outpatient perioperative area. We compared penicillin allergy documentation pre- and post- implementation strategy and report on nurses’ notification of prescribers regarding patients with low-risk penicillin allergies in the post-implementation period. We engaged nurses in a focus group to assess factors that facilitated or hindered practice adoption. Results: A total of 426 unique patients with 482 penicillin allergy records were included in our study (n= 207 records pre-implementation, n = 275 records post-implementation). We found little to no change in the percentage of records that included symptom information post vs. pre-implementation (88.36% vs 88.41%). A greater percentage of allergy records in the post vs. pre-implementation periods included information on: timing/years since reaction (25.6% vs. 8.2%), onset of reaction (20.7% vs. 0%), resolution of symptoms (20.4% vs. 0%), and penicillin re-exposure (21.1% vs. 2.4%). There were 24 documented instances of nurses’ notifying prescribers of patients with a low-risk penicillin allergy. Focus group data revealed nurses perceived their comprehensive documentation of penicillin allergies highly acceptable and likely to improve patient care and outcomes. Whereas nurses’ notification of prescribers concerning patients meeting low-risk penicillin allergy criteria had little appeal. Nurses described the STORY mnemonic, pocket cards describing the penicillin allergy assessment mnemonic, and the associated dot phrase in EPIC as particularly helpful. Conclusions: A multifaceted implementation strategy showed promise in improving the comprehensive documentation of penicillin allergy histories. Future studies are needed to determine the efficacy of the multifaceted implementation strategy on penicillin allergy documentation, the selection of antibiotic prophylactic treatment, and clinical outcomes among surgical patients.

We retrospectively reviewed the records of 136 veterans with a penicillin allergy label during a quality improvement initiative. We identified 82 inpatients eligible for removal of penicillin allergy by oral amoxicillin challenge, including 40 out of 82 (48%) still eligible after accounting for other limiting factors.

Background: Older adults (aged ≥65) are at high risk of harm from overdiagnosis and overtreatment of urinary tract infections (UTIs) with antibiotics. Involving patients/caregivers in their antibiotic treatment decisions has potential to improve prescribing. To engage effectively, patients/caregivers must have sufficient knowledge about UTIs, asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB: bacteria in the urine without signs of UTI), and antibiotics and opportunities to share their concerns and treatment preferences with healthcare staff. Patient education is one of the core elements of antibiotic stewardship recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention but, there are few resources for patients/caregivers about UTIs and antibiotics, leaving a knowledge gap as to what effective patient/caregiver antibiotic education for UTIs looks like. We sought to better understand the perspectives of patients/caregivers at high-risk of antibiotic overuse for UTIs and create an educational leaflet on UTIs, antibiotics, and ASB. Method: Between 11/2022 and 03/2023, we conducted virtual semi-structured interviews with patients ≥65yrs who had experienced UTI and caregivers about their needs, experiences, and preferences for educational support. Interviews lasted ~1 hour. Audio recordings were transcribed verbatim. NVivo software managed the data, which we analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: We conducted 9 interviews (5 patients, 4 caregivers). Interviewees expressed desire to be involved in their treatment decisions and learn more about antibiotics and alternative strategies (themes shown in Figure 1). Reported reasons for limited involvement in decisions included lacking the knowledge and confidence to ask questions, emotional factors (e.g., embarrassment/stress), deference to healthcare staff, and time constraints. Healthcare staff behaviors were described both as barriers (e.g., assertive treatment decisions) and facilitators (e.g., effective communication) of patient/caregiver engagement. Interviewees were eager for printed and digital educational support that could provide tailored content to help improve their knowledge and prepare for future conversations with healthcare staff. From this feedback we developed an educational leaflet (Figure 2). Conclusions: Involving patients/caregivers in antibiotic treatment decisions represents an opportunity to intervene before patients experience antibiotic overuse. Our findings offer important insights on patient/caregiver’ educational needs and preferences as well as perceived barriers to engaging in antibiotic treatment decisions for UTI. We used these insights to inform the development of educational materials about UTIs, ASB, and antibiotics for patients/caregivers and plan to test their use through multiple mediums with tailoring for unique patient needs, experiences, and backgrounds.

Background: Optimizing antimicrobial use (AU) among post-acute and long-term care (PALTC) residents is fundamental to reducing the morbidity and mortality associated with multidrug-resistant organism (MDROs), as well as unintended social consequences related to infection prevention. Data on AU in PALTC settings remains limited. The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) provides PALTC to over 23,000 residents at 134 community living centers (CLCs) across the United States annually. Here, we describe AU in VA CLCs, assessing both class and length of therapy. Methods: Monthly AU between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2019 was extracted from the VA Corporate Data Warehouse across 134 VA CLCs. Antimicrobials and administration routes were based on the National Healthcare Safety Network AU Option protocol for hospitals. Rates of AU were measured as the days of therapy (DOT) per 1,000 resident-days. An antimicrobial course was defined as the same drug and route administered to the same resident with a gap of ≤ three days between administrations. Course duration was measured in days. AU Rates were measured as the days of therapy (DOT) per 1,000 resident-days. Results: The most common class of antimicrobial course administered during the study period was beta-lactam/beta-lactamase inhibitor combinations (15%) followed by fluroquinolones (14%), extended-spectrum cephalosporins (12%) and glycopeptides (11%; Figure 1). Neuraminidase inhibitors had the longest median (IQR) course duration (10 (IQR 8) days), followed by tetracyclines (8 (IQR 8) days), and then folate pathway inhibitors, nitrofurans and 1st/2nd generation cephalosporins (7 (IQR 7) days). Overall, 60% of antimicrobial courses were administered orally, with fluroquinolones the most frequently administered orally (20%). From 2015 – 2019, the annual rate of total antimicrobial use across VA CLCs decreased slightly from 213.6 to 202.5 DOT/1,000 resident-days. During the 5-year study period, fluroquinolone use decreased from 27.47 to 13.36 DOTs/1,000 resident-days. First and 2nd generation cephalosporin use remained relatively stable, but 3rd or greater generation cephalosporin use increased from 14.70 to 19.21 DOTs/1,000 resident-days (Figure 2). Conclusion: The marked decrease in the use of fluoroquinolones at VA CLCs from 2015-2019 is similar to patterns observed for VA hospitals and for non-VA PALTC facilities. The overall use of antibacterial agents at VA CLCs decreased slightly during the study period, but other broad-spectrum agents such as 3rd or greater generation cephalosporins increased over the same period. The strategies used to decrease fluroquinolone use may have application for other antibiotic classes, both in VA and non-VA PALTC settings.

Disclosure: Robin Jump: Research support to my institution from Merck and Pfizer; Advisory boards for Pfizer

Background: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) represent a prevalent indication for outpatient antibiotic usage, yet limited data exist regarding antibiotic prescriptions within urology specialties. This study aimed to assess antibiotic prescribing patterns in urology offices over a four-year period, providing insights for potential stewardship interventions. Methods: The analysis focused on antibiotic prescribing trends in adults between 2018 and 2021 during both visit and non-visit (e.g. telephone and chart messages) encounters across 15 ambulatory Urology clinics in an academic medical center in Western New York. Exclusions were made for antivirals, antiparasitics, antifungals, oral suspensions, selected non-UTI antibiotics, duplicate orders on the same day or week, and prescriptions exceeding 28 days. Prescriptions were categorized into single doses administered in the clinic and those prescribed for 2-28 days, with descriptive statistics and trend analyses conducted using SAS v9.14. Results: Over the four-year period, 54,282 prescriptions were analyzed. Of these, 26,944 (49.7%) were single doses administered in the clinic, predominantly for pre-procedure prophylaxis. The most commonly prescribed antibiotics for prophylaxis were fluoroquinolones (FQ) (47.5%), followed by ceftriaxone (19.2%), nitrofurantoin (13.2%), trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (8.6%), and gentamicin (4.2%). Among the 27,288 prescriptions for 2-28 days, 72.3% were from non-visit encounters, with 61.6% prescribed by advanced practice providers (APPs) (Figure 1). The mean number of prescriptions per patient was 2.07, with women receiving more prescriptions than men (2.39 vs. 1.88, P < 0.001). FQ remained the most commonly prescribed antibiotics during all encounters (23.7%), followed by nitrofurantoin (23.0%) (Figure 2). The antibiotic duration was longer for visit-based compared to non-visit-based prescriptions (mean 10 vs. 7 days, P < 0.001). Notably, there was a significant decrease in fluoroquinolone use between Q1 2018 and Q4 2019 for both male and female patients, followed by insignificant changes thereafter. Conclusions: Antibiotic use in urology outpatient settings is substantially underestimated if only prescriptions made during visit encounters are considered. More than two-thirds of prescriptions for 2-28 days were from non-visit encounters, with the majority originating from APPs. The average therapy duration exceeded guideline recommendations. Moreover, approximately half of the antibiotics were administered in the office for pre-procedure prophylaxis. To enhance antibiotic prescribing in these specialized clinics, interventions should focus on non-visit prescriptions and provide education for APPs, alongside adjustments to default durations in electronic orders. Further evaluation is essential to assess the appropriateness of single doses for pre-procedure prophylaxis.

The past 10 years have brought paradigm-shifting changes to clinical microbiology. This paper explores the top 10 transformative innovations across the diagnostic spectrum, including not only state of the art technologies but also preanalytic and post-analytic advances. Clinical decision support tools have reshaped testing practices, curbing unnecessary tests. Innovations like broad-range polymerase chain reaction and metagenomic sequencing, whole genome sequencing, multiplex molecular panels, rapid phenotypic susceptibility testing, and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry have all expanded our diagnostic armamentarium. Rapid home-based testing has made diagnostic testing more accessible than ever. Enhancements to clinician-laboratory interfaces allow for automated stewardship interventions and education. Laboratory restructuring and consolidation efforts are reshaping the field of microbiology, presenting both opportunities and challenges for the future of clinical microbiology laboratories. Here, we review key innovations of the last decade.

Background: Outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) provides a safe and effective alternative to prolonged hospitalization for patients with infectious diseases requiring elongated antimicrobial therapy. One study found that 35.6% of OPAT episodes met the composite definition for treatment failure, with unplanned extension of OPAT as the most common reason for treatment failure. Our study sought to identify factors predicting higher likelihood of extension of OPAT due to slow clinical response to treatment and determine how therapy extension relates to complications. Method: This retrospective cohort study included all patients aged ≥18 years discharged on OPAT between April 2022 and October 2022. Demographic, treatment, outcome, and complications data were extracted through chart review. The primary outcome was the proportion and predictors of OPAT extension due to slow clinical response to treatment. The secondary outcomes were OPAT complication rate, 30-day ED visit and 30-day readmission rates related to OPAT complications. We used univariable and multivariable logistic regression models for the primary outcome of slow clinical response requiring OPAT extension. Variables with p < 0.1 in the univariable analyses were included in the multivariable model. Result: 231 patients received OPAT during the six-month study. Among them, 40 (17.3%) patients required an extension of therapy. In univariable analysis, patients who had slow clinical response requiring extension of OPAT were more likely to have intraabdominal infection (odds ratio [OR], 2.435; 95% confidence interval[CI], 1.053–5.628), receipt of metronidazole (OR, 3.729; 95% CI, 1.413–9.842), and were more likely to be followed up through office visit (OR, 5.033; 95%CI, 1.164–21.759) or combination of office visit and telemedicine (OR, 2.223; 95%CI 1.041–4.747). Other variable comparisons are detailed in Figure 1. In the multivariable regression analysis, the independent predictor associated with extended of OPAT was follow-up via office visit (adjusted OR, 4.630; 95% CI, 1.024-20.694). Rates of complications related to intravenous access and antibiotic were similar between patients with and without extension; 15% vs. 11% (p=0.430) and 7.5% vs. 7.3% (p=1.000), respectively. There were no significant differences in 30-day ED visits and readmission rates between the 2 groups: 7.5% vs. 5.8%(p=0.715) and 12.5% vs. 7.3% (p=0.338). Conclusion: Our study highlights patient’s office visit follow-up is associated with the OPAT extension due to slow clinical response. However, extended therapy did not result in a significant increase in complications or hospital readmissions. These findings suggest the importance of careful patient selection and monitoring for OPAT, potentially guiding more efficient and targeted healthcare practices.

The microbiology of cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) infections in Calgary, Alberta was described, identifying 50 infections from 2013 to 2019. The majority were Staphylococcus aureus (40.0%). There is significant economic burden, mostly related to inpatient costs, associated with CIED infections. However, there were no significant differences in costs stratified by organism.

Background: Family medicine physicians are one of the leading prescribers of antimicrobials in both the inpatient and ambulatory setting, however appropriate education on antimicrobial stewardship (AS) is lacking. The Antimicrobial Stewardship Collaborative of South Carolina (ASC-SC) created a family medicine AS lecture series to increase awareness of stewardship, improve antimicrobial prescribing throughout the state, and ultimately combat antimicrobial resistance. Methods: All family medicine residency programs in South Carolina (n=17) were contacted to determine interest in a four 1-hour long lecture series regarding various AS topics provided by infectious diseases physicians and pharmacists. The introductory AS lecture included topics such as interpreting minimal inhibitory concentrations, utilizing antibiograms, guidelines for diagnosing and treating common infections, and antibiotic essentials. Lectures were given on-site, and eight identical pre- and post-lecture questions were asked to assess baseline knowledge and efficacy of the introductory lecture. Not all the attendees answered all the pre- and post-lecture questions. A Chi-square analysis was used to determine statistical significance. Results: To date, 7 family medicine residency programs were given the introductory antimicrobial stewardship lecture and were included in the total analysis. Respondents included 1st year (25 of 99 responses, 25%) and 2nd year family medicine residents (17 of 99 responses 17%). When asked “How familiar are you with the concept of antimicrobial stewardship?”, 43 of 106 (41%) respondents were at least familiar or very familiar prior to the lecture compared to 81 of 93 (87%) after the lecture (p < 0.001). When asked “How confident are you in using antibiograms for antimicrobial decisions?”, 41 of 107 (38%) were confident or very confident pre-lecture and 83 of 101 (82%) post-lecture (p < 0.001). When given a case-based question on using an antibiogram to determine an appropriate empiric agent for inpatient pyelonephritis, 59 of 107 (55%) respondents were able to answer the question correctly pre-lecture compared to 85 of 99 (86%) post-lecture (p < 0.001). Among those who answered the question incorrectly, 60% selected the agent with the highest percentage susceptible rate in the antibiogram, despite it being an inappropriate agent for pyelonephritis. Conclusion: The ASC-SC lecture series was an effective tool to increase awareness and knowledge of antimicrobial stewardship to family medicine providers. This lecture series survey data helps determine what family medicine residents commonly misunderstood in AS concepts and helps guide future initiatives.