METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was performed between October 1st, 2018, and October 31st, 2020, in Farwaniya Hospital PICU, a 20-bed unit. All pediatric patients who were admitted to PICU and received systemic antimicrobials during the study period were included and followed until hospital discharge. The ASP team provided weekly prospective audit and feedback on antimicrobial use starting October 8th, 2019. A pediatric infectious diseases specialist joined the ASP rounds remotely. Descriptive analyses and a pre-post intervention comparison of days of therapy (DOT) were used to assess the effectiveness of the ASP intervention.
RESULTS: There were 272 and 156 PICU admissions received systemic antimicrobial before and after the initiation of ASP, respectively. Bronchiolitis and pneumonia were the most common admission diagnoses, together compromising 60.7% and 61.2% of cases pre- and post-ASP. The requirement for respiratory support was higher post-ASP (76.5% vs. 91.5%, p