2544. An Exploratory Study of Resource Utilization by Practitioners when Managing Infections

BACKGROUND: Antimicrobial prescribing mistakes are common and adherence to guidelines for treatment of infections is poor. Effective use of clinical resources could help ameliorate these issues, but little is known about the use of such resources by physicians and pharmacists. We thus aimed to explore how practitioners utilize clinical resources in the management of infections. METHODS: We conducted individual interviews with a purposeful sample of eight Hospitalists, eight ID attendings, four ID pharmacists, and six non-ID pharmacists. As part of a larger, semi-structured interview exploring ID practice patterns, we asked respondents how they utilize resources when managing infections. We describe the resources mentioned by the different practitioners, as well as the frequency of their reported use. RESULTS: All respondents reported using at least one resource to help manage infections, with a mean of 5.6 resources each. The majority of respondents use resources daily, although some ID practitioners use resources more frequently and some general practitioners less frequently (Figure 1). The types of resources utilized by respondents fell into six main categories: local ID resources, outside ID resources, primary literature, guidelines, colleagues, and pharmacy resources (Figure 2). In general, local resources are utilized more frequently by non-ID practitioners, while guidelines and the primary literature are utilized more frequently by ID practitioners. ID physicians use pharmacy resources more frequently than non-ID physicians. Six respondents spontaneously reported being motivated to review resources for their own interest or learning. Several also commented that accessibility was important in choosing resources. CONCLUSION: Providers report use of resources to manage infections, although the type of resource and frequency of use varies. ID practitioners utilize more detailed resources than nonspecialists. Accessibility seems to influence resource utilization, which may explain the popularity of local ID resources. As such, efforts to make local ID resources as accessible and clear as possible may have an impact on appropriate antibiotic use. Future quantitative studies could help illuminate rates and perceived advantages of specific resource utilization. [Image: see text] [Image: see text] DISCLOSURES: All authors: No reported disclosures.