title: Effect of a multi-faceted quality improvement intervention on inappropriate antibiotic use in children with non-bloody diarrhoea admitted to district hospitals in Kenya.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There are few reports of interventions to reduce the common but irrational use of antibiotics for acute non-bloody diarrhoea amongst hospitalised children in low-income settings. We undertook a secondary analysis of data from an intervention comprising training of health workers, facilitation, supervision and face-to-face feedback, to assess whether it reduced inappropriate use of antibiotics in children with non-bloody diarrhoea and no co-morbidities requiring antibiotics, compared to a partial intervention comprising didactic training and written feedback only. This outcome was not a pre-specified end-point of the main trial.
  
  
  METHODS
  Repeated cross-sectional survey data from a cluster-randomised controlled trial of an intervention to improve management of common childhood illnesses in Kenya were used to describe the prevalence of inappropriate antibiotic use in a 7-day period in children aged 2-59 months with acute non-bloody diarrhoea. Logistic regression models with random effects for hospital were then used to identify patient and clinician level factors associated with inappropriate antibiotic use and to assess the effect of the intervention.
  
  
  RESULTS
  9, 459 admission records of children were reviewed for this outcome. Of these, 4, 232 (44.7%) were diagnosed with diarrhoea, with 130 of these being bloody (dysentery) therefore requiring antibiotics. 1, 160 children had non-bloody diarrhoea and no co-morbidities requiring antibiotics-these were the focus of the analysis. 750 (64.7%) of them received antibiotics inappropriately, 313 of these being in the intervention hospitals vs. 437 in the controls. The adjusted logistic regression model showed the baseline-adjusted odds of inappropriate antibiotic prescription to children admitted to the intervention hospitals was 0.30 times that in the control hospitals (95%CI 0.09-1.02).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found some evidence that the multi-faceted, sustained intervention described in this paper led to a reduction in the inappropriate use of antibiotics in treating children with non-bloody diarrhoea.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number Register ISRCTN42996612.
authors: Child and Newborn Health Group, KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Nairobi, Kenya. copondo@nairobi.kemri-wellcome.org
authors: Charles
authors: C
authors: Opondo
authors: Philip
authors: P
authors: Ayieko
authors: Stephen
authors: S
authors: Ntoburi
authors: John
authors: J
authors: Wagai
authors: Newton
authors: N
authors: Opiyo
authors: Grace
authors: G
authors: Irimu
authors: Elizabeth
authors: E
authors: Allen
authors: James
authors: J
authors: Carpenter
authors: Mike
authors: M
authors: English
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D006767:Hospitals, District; D006801:Humans; D057970:Inappropriate Prescribing / Q000517:prevention & control*; D007630:Kenya; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D010564:Personnel, Hospital / Q000193:education*; D015995:Prevalence; D058996:Quality Improvement
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents