Antimicrobial Stewardship Effects of Interpretive Comments for Faecal PCR Tests
Bacterial gastroenteritis is a common condition seen in Aotearoa New Zealand, which is typically diagnosed by PCR testing on a stool sample. Most causes of bacterial gastroenteritis (e.g. Campylobacter spp, Salmonella spp, Yersinia spp) cause a self-limiting illness and antibiotic therapy is not required. Indeed, guidelines available for community healthcare providers in Aotearoa (e.g. Community HealthPathways, recently released national antimicrobial guidelines Te Whata Kura) recommend against antibiotic therapy for the vast majority of cases.
A recent internal analysis at Awanui Laboratories of community faecal pathogen PCR testing revealed that antibiotic prescribing was very common after a positive result (ranging between 20-40% for the various individual pathogens), which suggests many community healthcare providers may not be following the recommended approach for the management of these infections. Given how common infectious gastroenteritis is in Aotearoa, and the volume of tests performed (approximately 100,000 through the Awanui network per year), this prescribing behaviour may represent a large volume of unnecessary antibiotic use in our communities, with resultant potential harmful effects at the individual patient level and population level via side effects, disruption to the faecal microbiome, and impacts on antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
In previous work we have demonstrated that interpretive comments, when added to laboratory reports, can have a significant positive effect on prescriber behaviour (https://doi.org/10.1093/jac/dkad384), but this has not been examined in relation to faecal pathogen testing.
Descripción general del estudio
Estado
Condiciones
Intervención / Tratamiento
Descripción detallada
This is a cluster randomised crossover trial, where four laboratories within the Awanui Labs network in Aotearoa New Zealand will act as the clusters. Each laboratory will be assigned four intervention levels, which will be implemented in random order over the course of the 12 month study period (i.e. 3 months per intervention).
The intervention will consist of interpretive comments that are appended to laboratory reports where a stool sample has been submitted for faecal bacterial pathogen detection (predominantly tested via multiplex PCR methodology) and one of the target organisms has been detected. The target organisms are Campylobacter spp, Shigella spp/Entero-invasive Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp, Yersinia spp, and Aeromonas spp.
There will be four different intervention levels: 1. a comment that reminds requesters that most acute bacterial gastroenteritis does not require antibiotic treatment, as per local guidelines; 2. the same comment as 1 is used, plus an additional comment is added reminding requesters of the negative effects of antibiotic over use at the population level (i.e. AMR); 3. the same comment as 1 is used, plus an additional comment is added reminding requesters of the negative effects of antibiotic overuse at the individual patient level e.g. harms due to side effects; 4. is a the control group, where no comment is appended.
The four levels will be auto added by each lab, each for a three month period, in the random order allocated at the beginning of the study.
Outcome measures will relate to antibiotic use in the time period following the laboratory report, plus unplanned hospitalisation out to 30 days post report.
Tipo de estudio
Inscripción (Estimado)
Fase
- No aplica
Contactos y Ubicaciones
Estudio Contacto
- Nombre: Max Bloomfield, MBChB
- Número de teléfono: +64272089584
- Correo electrónico: maxim.bloomfield@ccdhb.org.nz
Ubicaciones de estudio
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Auckland, Nueva Zelanda
- Reclutamiento
- Awanui Labs Auckland
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Contacto:
- Max Bloomfield, MBChB
- Número de teléfono: 0272089584
- Correo electrónico: maxim.bloomfield@ccdhb.org.nz
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Christchurch, Nueva Zelanda
- Reclutamiento
- Awanui Labs Christchurch
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Contacto:
- Max Bloomfield, MBChB
- Número de teléfono: 0272089584
- Correo electrónico: maxim.bloomfield@ccdhb.org.nz
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Dunedin, Nueva Zelanda
- Reclutamiento
- Awanui Labs Dunedin
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Contacto:
- Max Bloomfield, MBChB
- Número de teléfono: 0272089584
- Correo electrónico: maxim.bloomfield@ccdhb.org.nz
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Wellington, Nueva Zelanda, 6012
- Reclutamiento
- Awanui Labs Wellington
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Contacto:
- Max Bloomfield, MBChB
- Número de teléfono: 0272089584
- Correo electrónico: maxim.bloomfield@ccdhb.org.nz
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Criterios de participación
Criterio de elegibilidad
Edades elegibles para estudiar
- Niño
- Adulto
- Adulto Mayor
Acepta Voluntarios Saludables
Descripción
Inclusion Criteria:
- Age over six months
- Stool sample submitted to Awanui Labs for faecal bacterial pathogen testing from a community health provider during the study period
- Test results report the detection of: Campylobacter spp, Shigella spp/Entero-invasive Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp, Yersinia spp, or Aeromonas spp.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Samples where only Clostridioides difficile or Helicobacter pylori testing has been requested will be excluded
- Samples sent for Public Health testing (e.g. testing for clearance of Salmonella spp) will be excluded.
Plan de estudios
¿Cómo está diseñado el estudio?
Detalles de diseño
- Propósito principal: Diagnóstico
- Asignación: Aleatorizado
- Modelo Intervencionista: Asignación cruzada
- Enmascaramiento: Ninguno (etiqueta abierta)
Armas e Intervenciones
Grupo de participantes/brazo |
Intervención / Tratamiento |
|---|---|
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Comparador activo: Interpretive laboratory comment - guideline
Interpretive comment with advice to follow local guidelines
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Interpretive commend added to laboratory report - contents of comment will depend on associated arm
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Comparador activo: Interpretive laboratory comment - guideline + population harms
Interpretive comment with advice to follow local guidelines PLUS comment about population level harms of antibiotic overuse (i.e.
AMR)
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Interpretive commend added to laboratory report - contents of comment will depend on associated arm
|
|
Comparador activo: Interpretive laboratory comment - guideline + individual harms
Interpretive comment with advice to follow local guidelines PLUS comment about individual patient harms of antibiotic overuse (e.g.
side effects)
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Interpretive commend added to laboratory report - contents of comment will depend on associated arm
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Sin intervención: Control
No comment added to lab report
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¿Qué mide el estudio?
Medidas de resultado primarias
Medida de resultado |
Medida Descripción |
Periodo de tiempo |
|---|---|---|
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Specific antibacterial dispensing
Periodo de tiempo: Within 5 days of lab report
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Antibacterial dispensing within 5 days of laboratory report for agents that are more specific for the treatment of bacterial gastroenteritis: amoxicillin, azithromycin, ciprofloxacin, doxycycline, erythromycin, co-trimoxazole
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Within 5 days of lab report
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Medidas de resultado secundarias
Medida de resultado |
Medida Descripción |
Periodo de tiempo |
|---|---|---|
|
Any antibacterial dispensing
Periodo de tiempo: Within 5 days of lab report
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Antimicrobial dispensing within 5 days of laboratory report for any antibacterial agent
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Within 5 days of lab report
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Antibacterial dispensing within 30 days
Periodo de tiempo: Within 30 days of lab report
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Antimicrobial dispensing within 30 days of laboratory report
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Within 30 days of lab report
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Unplanned hospital admission
Periodo de tiempo: Within 5 and 30 days of lab report.
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Unplanned hospital admission within 5 and 30 days of laboratory report
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Within 5 and 30 days of lab report.
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Colaboradores e Investigadores
Patrocinador
Colaboradores
Fechas de registro del estudio
Fechas importantes del estudio
Inicio del estudio (Actual)
Finalización primaria (Estimado)
Finalización del estudio (Estimado)
Fechas de registro del estudio
Enviado por primera vez
Primero enviado que cumplió con los criterios de control de calidad
Publicado por primera vez (Actual)
Actualizaciones de registros de estudio
Última actualización publicada (Actual)
Última actualización enviada que cumplió con los criterios de control de calidad
Última verificación
Más información
Términos relacionados con este estudio
Otros números de identificación del estudio
- FPC2026
Plan de datos de participantes individuales (IPD)
¿Planea compartir datos de participantes individuales (IPD)?
Información sobre medicamentos y dispositivos, documentos del estudio
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