Use of nares swab to de-escalate vancomycin for patients with suspected methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

INTRODUCTION: According to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 30%–50% of antibiotic use in hospitals is unnecessary or inappropriate. The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic further complicates antibiotic use leading to greater initiation of empiric antibiotics. The result is antibiotic overuse and increased duration of unnecessary therapy. Vancomycin is a drug of last resort, primarily relegated to the treatment of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). De-escalating vancomycin can mean waiting on MRSA culture results, which may take up to 96 h. Nares screening for MRSA is shown to possess high negative predictive value for ruling out suspected MRSA pneumonia, intra-abdominal infections, and bacteremia. METHODS: This before-and-after study examines the impact of vancomycin therapy de-escalation due to absence of MRSA colonization detected via PCR assay of nares swabs. An intervention with providers using SMART goals was designed to increase nasal swabbing for MRSA and ultimately decrease vancomycin use at a large, tertiary-care urban hospital. RESULTS: There was a significant increase in use of vancomycin nares swabs (28/150 vs 48/100, p = 0.040) in the immediate pre/postintervention period, and significant decreases in vancomycin usage days/1,000 patient days of 2.34% per month (p = 0.039) over a two year period after the intervention. CONCLUSION: An intervention using PCR nares swabs to detect MRSA led to significant, lasting decreases in vancomycin usage at this hospital. Similar interventions should be planned at hospitals experiencing overuse of this antibiotic.