Efficacy and Safety of Antimicrobial Stewardship Intervention in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients (COVASP)

Overview

COVID-19 is respiratory disease caused by the severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a novel coronavirus which has spread rapidly across the world with over 149.9 million laboratory confirmed cases and over 3.1 million reported deaths since December 2019. Approximately 4-8% of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 have co-infection with bacterial pathogens however there is widespread and often broad-spectrum antibiotic use in these patients. This is a prospective, multi-center, non-inferiority pragmatic clinical trial of antimicrobial stewardship prospective audit and feedback versus no antimicrobial stewardship intervention on physicians attending to patients with proven SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed by nucleic acid testing in the preceding 2 weeks of hospitalization for acute COVID-19 pneumonia. Prospective audit and feedback is the real time review of antibacterial prescriptions and immediate feedback to prescribers to optimize antimicrobial prescriptions. Hospital beds will be stratified by COVID unit and critical care unit beds, and will be computer randomized in a 1:1 fashion into 2 arms (antimicrobial stewardship intervention versus no antimicrobial stewardship intervention) prior to study commencement at the participating site. Patients hospitalized to study-eligible beds will be followed for primary and secondary outcomes. The objective of this study is to determine the effect of an antimicrobial stewardship intervention (prospective audit and feedback) on clinical outcomes in patients hospitalized with acute COVID-19.

Full Title of Study: “Efficacy and Safety of Antimicrobial Stewardship Intervention in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients: A Pragmatic Clinical Trial”

Study Type

  • Study Type: Interventional
  • Study Design
    • Allocation: Randomized
    • Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
    • Primary Purpose: Other
    • Masking: None (Open Label)
  • Study Primary Completion Date: October 15, 2021

Interventions

  • Behavioral: Antimicrobial stewardship prospective audit and feedback
    • Audits are performed on weekdays, less statutory holidays, by members of the antimicrobial stewardship team consisting of infectious disease or antimicrobial stewardship physicians or pharmacists. Verbal and written feedback will be provided in real-time. Initial prospective audit and feedback (PAF) will occur on the day of enrolment. Follow-up PAF will occur weekly (+/-3 days to account for weekends or statuary holidays) and ad-hoc if a new antibacterial is prescribed, until the primary end-point. Appropriateness will be assessed based on local clinical practice guidelines. Only antibacterials will be audited. Prescriptions will be excluded from PAF if they are single doses or discontinued prior to PAF. Prescriptions will be also be excluded from PAF and the final analysis if being used for surgical or medical prophylaxis.

Arms, Groups and Cohorts

  • Experimental: Antimicrobial stewardship
    • Antimicrobial stewardship prospective audit and feedback on physicians attending to patients admitted with community-acquired COVID-19 pneumonia to beds randomized to antimicrobial stewardship intervention.
  • No Intervention: No antimicrobial stewardship
    • No antimicrobial stewardship prospective audit and feedback.

Clinical Trial Outcome Measures

Primary Measures

  • Ordinal scale
    • Time Frame: Day 15 of hospital admission
    • A 7 point ordinal scale of clinical outcomes: point – Not hospitalized, able to resume normal daily activities points – Not hospitalized, unable to resume normal daily activities points – Hospitalized, not on supplemental oxygen points – Hospitalized, on supplemental oxygen points – Hospitalized, on high flow oxygen therapy or non-invasive mechanical ventilation points – Hospitalized, on ECMO or invasive mechanical ventilation points – Death Higher scores means a worse outcome.

Secondary Measures

  • Length of hospital stay
    • Time Frame: through study completion, an average of 5 days
    • Duration of hospitalization in days
  • In-hospital mortality
    • Time Frame: through study completion, an average of 5 days
    • Death occurring during hospital admission
  • 30-day mortality
    • Time Frame: 30 days
    • Mortality in the first 30 days after diagnosis
  • 30-day C. difficile associated mortality
    • Time Frame: 30 days
    • Death related to C. difficile-associated diarrhea in the first 30 days after diagnosis
  • 30 day re-admission rate
    • Time Frame: 30 days from hospital discharge
    • Re-admission to hospital after initial discharge in the first 30 days after diagnosis
  • Days of therapy normalized for patient-days
    • Time Frame: capped at 30 days of hospitalization
    • Days of antibiotic therapy normalized for patients-day
  • Length of total antimicrobial therapy normalized for patient-days
    • Time Frame: capped at 30 days of hospitalization
    • Length of antibiotics normalized for patient-days
  • Number of antimicrobial stewardship audits
    • Time Frame: through study completion, an average of 5 days
    • Number of audits by ASP
  • Number of antimicrobial stewardship recommendations
    • Time Frame: through study completion, an average of 5 days
    • Number of recommendations by ASP
  • Antimicrobial stewardship acceptance rates
    • Time Frame: through study completion, an average of 5 days
    • Acceptance rate of ASP recommendations
  • Multi-drug resistant bacteria infection rates
    • Time Frame: 30 days
    • Development of multi-drug resistant bacterial infection in the first 30 days after diagnosis
  • Clostridioides difficile infection rate
    • Time Frame: 30 days
    • C. difficile-associated diarrhea in the first 30 days after diagnosis
  • Percentage of participants with neutropenia
    • Time Frame: 30 days
    • Occurrence of neutropenia in the first 30 days
  • Acute kidney injury
    • Time Frame: 30 days
    • diagnosed and staged as according to KDIGO

Participating in This Clinical Trial

Inclusion Criteria

  • Age ≥18 years at the time of hospital admission. – Confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection by nucleic acid testing in the preceding 14 days of hospital admission. – Admitted from the community (including continuing care facilities). – Admitted to a hospital bed designated in the study. – SpO2 ≤94% requiring supplemental oxygen or chest imaging findings compatible with COVID-19 pneumonia. Exclusion Criteria:

  • The patient is enrolled in another clinical trial that involves antibacterial therapy. – The patient's goals of care is anticipated to be designated "total compassionate care" or palliative care within 48 hours of admission. – The patient's progression to death is anticipated to be imminent and inevitable within 48 hours of admission. – The patient was attended by any member of the research team within 30 days of enrollment. – The patient is transferred from another acute care center.

Gender Eligibility: All

Minimum Age: 18 Years

Maximum Age: N/A

Are Healthy Volunteers Accepted: No

Investigator Details

  • Lead Sponsor
    • University of Alberta
  • Provider of Information About this Clinical Study
    • Sponsor

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