Is the number of prescriptions an appropriate metric for outpatient antimicrobial consumption? A comparison between the prescription counts and days supplied.
Satoshi KakiuchiEli N PerencevichDaniel J LivorsiMichihiko GotoPublished in: Infection control and hospital epidemiology (2022)
The optimal metric for outpatient antimicrobial stewardship has not been well defined. The number of antibiotic prescriptions per clinic visit does not account for the therapeutic duration. We found only moderate association between prescription-based metrics and days-supplied-based metrics. Outpatient antibiotic consumption metrics should incorporate the duration of therapy.