756. Impact of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists as Part of an Interdisciplinary OPAT Team Managing Vancomycin

BACKGROUND: Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy (OPAT) is a growing area of Infectious Diseases (ID) that allows for the treatment of severe infections in the ambulatory setting. Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) incorporated inpatient ID pharmacists into the OPAT team in June 2017 to assist with vancomycin monitoring and dosing. Laboratory results were received and documented by the OPAT nurse and forwarded to the pharmacists for assessment via the electronic medical record (EMR). Pharmacists then sent clinical recommendations to the physician. This study aimed to determine the impact of pharmacists’ involvement in OPAT vancomycin management. METHODS: An EMR-generated report identified patients in the OPAT program from June 2016 through May 2017 as the control group and June 2017 through May 2018 as the intervention group. One hundred patients were randomly selected during each period. Patients were excluded from the intervention group if no pharmacist documentation was present. The primary outcome was to evaluate the proportion of vancomycin levels within the patient-specific goal range and secondary outcomes included the proportion of (1) pharmacists’ recommendations accepted by the ID physician and (2) patients who experienced adverse drug events. RESULTS: A total of 200 patients were evaluated. The most common indication for enrollment was osteomyelitis (46%). No differences in baseline characteristics were noted, and the median age was 67 years. The percentage of vancomycin levels within goal was significantly higher in the pharmacist-managed group compared with the control group (66.8% vs. 54.2%; P < 0.0001). The number of patients who experienced adverse drug events was similar between the two groups (39% vs. 43%; P = 0.66); however, fewer patients in the pharmacist group experienced acute kidney injury (5% vs. 13%; P = 0.08). Finally, 100% of pharmacist recommendations were accepted by ID physicians. CONCLUSION: Leveraging inpatient ID pharmacists at MGH in the management of OPAT vancomycin provided improved percentage of vancomycin in therapeutic range and high acceptance rate of interventions. Further evaluation is necessary to assess the inpatient ID pharmacists’ workflow for implementation into other OPAT programs. [Image: see text] [Image: see text] DISCLOSURES: All authors: No reported disclosures.