Implementation of a quality improvement strategy to optimise the management of community acquired pneumonia in a rural health setting.

Problem: In Australia, inappropriate prescribing of antimicrobials is higher in rural and regional areas than in major city hospitals. Inappropriate prescribing is defined as the prescription of antimicrobial agents that do not adhere to guidelines in terms of type of antimicrobial chosen, dose and/or duration or are deemed unnecessary. A review of antimicrobial prescribing in a Queensland rural Hospital and Health Service (HHS) identified that respiratory infections were an area for potential improvement.

Setting: The study was performed in a rural HHS in Queensland.

Key Measures For Improvement: Appropriateness of antimicrobial prescribing for baseline and post-implementation phases of the study was evaluated according to Therapeutic Guidelines: antibiotic recommendations for community acquired pneumonia (CAP).

Strategies For Change: Quality improvement strategy to implement a multifaceted package of interventions for CAP.

Effects Of Change: Post-implementation, overall appropriateness of antimicrobial prescribing improved and there was a decrease in duration of antimicrobial therapy.

Lessons Learnt: A quality improvement strategy to implement a multifaceted package of interventions for CAP has shown to be acceptable and effective in improving the antimicrobial prescribing in a rural setting. Our findings highlight the importance of utilising a multifaceted package of interventions which can be tailored to the prescribers and the patients at hand. It is also valuable to engage with local clinicians to promote the optimal management of common infections in the rural setting.