Development of actionable quality indicators and an action implementation toolbox for appropriate antibiotic use at intensive care units: A modified-RAND Delphi study.

Introduction: Extensive antibiotic use makes the intensive care unit (ICU) an important focus for antibiotic stewardship programs. The aim of this study was to develop a set of actionable quality indicators for appropriate antibiotic use at ICUs and an implementation toolbox, which can be used to assess and improve the appropriateness of antibiotic use in the treatment of adult patients at an ICU.

Methods: A four round modified-RAND Delphi procedure was used.

How to measure quantitative antibiotic use in order to support antimicrobial stewardship in acute care hospitals: a retrospective observational study.

A cornerstone of antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) is monitoring quantitative antibiotic use. Frequently used metrics are defined daily dose (DDD) and days of therapy (DOT). The purpose of this study was (1) to explore for the hospital setting the possibilities of quantitative data retrieval on the level of medical specialty and (2) to describe factors affecting the usability and interpretation of these quantitative metrics.

Development and internal validation of the multivariable CIPHER (Collaborative Integrated Pregnancy High-dependency Estimate of Risk) clinical risk prediction model.

Background: Intensive care unit (ICU) outcome prediction models, such as Acute Physiology And Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE), were designed in general critical care populations and their use in obstetric populations is contentious. The aim of the CIPHER (Collaborative Integrated Pregnancy High-dependency Estimate of Risk) study was to develop and internally validate a multivariable prognostic model calibrated specifically for pregnant or recently delivered women admitted for critical care.

Methods: A retrospective observational cohort was created for this study from 13 tertiary facilities across five high-income and six low- or middle-income countries.

A Systematic Review of Quality Indicators for Appropriate Antibiotic Use in Hospitalized Adult Patients.

Many quality indicators for appropriate antibiotic use have been developed. We aimed to make a systematic inventory, including the development methodology and validation procedures, of currently available quality indicators (QIs) for appropriate antibiotic use in hospitalized adult patients. We performed a literature search in the Pubmed interface.

Phenotypes and genetic architecture of focal primary torsion dystonia.

Background: The focal primary torsion dystonias (FPTDs) form a group of clinical heterogeneous syndromes and can be considered a genetic complex disease; it is thought to be primed by genetic variants with variable impact and triggered by non-genetic factors. Thorough clinical description of FPTDs cohorts is sparse but essential for further progress in genetic research.

Objective: To establish suggested relations between age at onset (AaO), site and family history in a large focal dystonias cohort and gain more insight into familial clustering for genetic research.