Quality of inpatient antimicrobial use in hematology and oncology patients.

Objectives: To compare antimicrobial prescribing practices in Australian hematology and oncology patients to noncancer acute inpatients and to identify targets for stewardship interventions.

Design: Retrospective comparative analysis of a national prospectively collected database.

Methods: Using data from the 2014-2018 annual Australian point-prevalence surveys of antimicrobial prescribing in hospitalized patients (ie, Hospital National Antimicrobial Prescribing Survey called Hospital NAPS), the most frequently used antimicrobials, their appropriateness, and guideline concordance were compared among hematology/bone marrow transplant (hemBMT), oncology, and noncancer inpatients in the setting of treatment of neutropenic fever and antibacterial and antifungal prophylaxis.

Antimicrobial stewardship in Victorian hospitals: a statewide survey to identify current gaps.

Objective: To determine antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) activities currently being undertaken at Victorian hospitals, identifying gaps when assessed against the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care criteria for effective AMS.

Design, Setting And Participants: A survey open to all Victorian health services, conducted between January and March 2012.

Main Outcome Measures: Availability of the endorsed prescribing guidelines, antimicrobial prescribing policies, formularies, approval systems for restricted antimicrobials, procedures for postprescription review, auditing and selective reporting of sensitivities.