Organizational Readiness Assessment in Acute and Long-Term Care has Important Implications for Antibiotic Stewardship for Asymptomatic Bacteriuria

• Published in: American Journal of Infection Control
• Main Authors: Goebel, Melanie C., Trautner, Barbara W., Wang, Yiqun, Van, John N., Dillon, Laura M., Patel, Payal K., Drekonja, Dimitri M., Graber, Christopher J., Shukla, Bhavarth S., Lichtenberger, Paola, Helfrich, Christian D., Sales, Anne, Grigoryan, Larissa
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2020
• Subjects: Article; Orca
• Online Access: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7606359/; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32437753; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2020.04.024

BACKGROUND: Prior to implementing an antibiotic stewardship intervention for asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB), we assessed institutional barriers to change using the Organizational Readiness to Change Assessment (ORCA). METHODS: Surveys were self-administered on paper in inpatient medicine and long-term care units at 4 Veterans Affairs facilities. Participants included providers, nurses, and pharmacists. The survey included seven subscales: evidence (perceived strength of evidence) and six context subscales (favorability of organizational context). Responses were scored on a 5-point Likert-type scale. RESULTS: 104 surveys were completed (response rate =69.3%). Overall, the evidence subscale had the highest score; the resources subscale (mean 2.8) was significantly lower than other subscales (P < 0.001). Scores for budget and staffing resources were lower than scores for training and facility resources (P < 0.001 for both). Pharmacists had lower scores than providers for the staff culture subscale (P = 0.04). The site with the lowest scores for resources (mean 2.4) also had lower scores for leadership and lower pharmacist effort devoted to stewardship. CONCLUSIONS: Although healthcare professionals endorsed the evidence about non-treatment of ASB, perceived barriers to antibiotic stewardship included inadequate resources and leadership support. These findings provide targets for tailoring the stewardship intervention to maximize success.