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Abstract: Background: In light of growing concerns of bacterial resistance to fluoroquinolones, the province of Ontario instituted a fluoroquinolone restriction policy in March of 2001. The objective of this study was to examine the immediate impact of this policy on the rates of antibiotic prescription use and infectious disease-related hospitalizations among elderly individuals who are dispensed antibiotics. Methods: An interrupted time series analysis was conducted from January 1, 1994, to March 31, 2002, using administrative health care databases covering more than 1.4 million residents of Ontario, Canada, aged 65 years and older. Population rates of antibiotic use and infectious disease-related hospitalizations within 4 weeks after an antibiotic prescription were examined using interventional autoregressive integrated moving average models. Results: Immediately after the introduction of the fluoroquinolone policy, fluoroquinolone prescription rates decreased to approximately 70% of expected rates (P <.01). Approximately 30% higher than expected use of sulfonamide (P =.01) and urinary anti-infectives (primarily nitrofurantoin and trimethoprim; P <.01) were observed within 1 year after policy implementation. No significant changes in the use of any other groups of antibiotics were observed. Although no significant changes in the rates of overall infection-related hospital admissions among antibiotic users were observed, the rate of hospital admission for gastrointestinal infections was 32% lower than expected in the 1 year after the policy change (P <.01). The hospital admission rate for urinary tract infections was approximately 8% higher than expected (P <.01). Conclusions: These findings suggest that formulary restrictions to fluoroquinolones can be implemented effectively to decrease use among an elderly population without adverse impact on hospital admission rates. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

: PurposeTo review trends in drug therapy and concomitant outcomes of elderly heart failure patients in Ontario, Canada.: MethodsUtilization of drug therapies, mortality, and rehospitalization rates from April 1992 to March 2000 were determined in 77,421 elderly (aged ≥65 years), community-based heart failure patients using linked administrative databases. Treatment effects were identified from published meta-analyses and randomized trials. The effect of drug trends on mortality and morbidity were assessed based on their absolute treatment effects.: ResultsFrom 1992 to 2000, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker use increased from 58% to 62% (P = 0.001) while beta-blocker use increased from 6% to 22% (P <0.001). There was a decrease in the use of treatments for which no survival advantage had been demonstrated in randomized trials, such as digitalis (49% to 35%, P <0.001), Vaughan-Williams class I antiarrhythmic agents (3.5% to 1.4%, P <0.001), and first-generation calcium antagonists (21.3% to 9.6%, P <0.001). The trends in drug therapy were associated with a 2.8% reduction in age-, sex-, and comorbidity-adjusted 1-year mortality and a 4.1% reduction in 1-year hospitalization rates. The observed trends in therapy over time explained 37% of the decrease in mortality and 30% of the decrease in rehospitalization rates. The treatment effect from beta-blockers was most pronounced, explaining 30% of the decrease in mortality and 10% of the decrease in rehospitalization rates.: ConclusionDuring 1992 to 2000, mortality and morbidity improved among elderly patients with heart failure, with increased utilization of beta-blockers contributing most to the beneficial trends in outcomes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of computerized provider order entry subcutaneous insulin order sets on inpatient glycemic control and ordering behavior.Methods: This was an interrupted time series study of non-intensive care patients at an urban teaching hospital. The primary outcome was proportion of capillary blood glucose in optimal range (4.0-10.0 mmol/L [72-180 mg/dL]) during the 6 months before and after a change to a computerized provider order entry-integrated insulin order set. Secondary outcomes included other measures of glycemia (hyperglycemia [>13.9mmol/L (250 mg/dL)], hypoglycemia [<4.0 mmol/L (72 mg/dL)], severe hypoglycemia [<2.2 mmol/L (40 mg/dL)]) and ordering behavior (use of basal-bolus-correctional insulin regimens). Comparisons of sensitivity-based versus generic correctional scale were also conducted.Results: A total of 63,393 measurements were obtained from June 2011 to June 2012. Order set usage was limited (51.5%). The weekly proportion of capillary blood glucose within the optimal range was not significantly different after the switch to computerized provider order entry order sets (pre-period: 64.9% vs post-period: 65.3%, P = .996). There were no differences in the proportions of moderate or severe hyperglycemia (pre-period: 10.9% vs post-period: 12.0%, P = .061) and hypoglycemia (pre-period: 1.9% vs post-period: 1.6%, P = .144). However, an increased proportion within the optimal range was seen in those with an order set featuring a sensitivity-based correctional scale versus orders without (65.3% vs 55.0%, P <.001). Increased basal-bolus-correctional ordering was observed after protocol implementation (20.3% vs 23.6%, P <.0001).Conclusions: With low institutional uptake, computerized insulin order sets did not improve inpatient glycemic control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Acute kidney injury frequently arises within an acute care hospitalization. Outcomes among acute kidney injury survivors following hospital discharge are poorly documented. Methods: We conducted a population-based cohort study between 1996 and 2006 of all adult patients in Ontario with acute kidney injury who did not require in-hospital dialysis, and who survived free of dialysis ≥30 days after discharge. Those with acute kidney injury (n=41,327) were matched 1:1 to patients without acute kidney injury during their index hospitalization. Matching was by age (±1 year), sex, history of chronic kidney disease, receipt of mechanical ventilation during the index hospitalization, and a propensity score for developing acute kidney injury. The primary outcome was subsequent need for chronic dialysis. The secondary outcomes were all-cause mortality and rehospitalization. Results: Mean age was 70 years, and median follow-up was 2 years (maximum 10 years). The incidence of chronic dialysis was 1.78 per 100 person-years among those with acute kidney injury and 0.74 per 100 person-years among unaffected controls (adjusted hazard ratio [HR]; 2.70, 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.42-3.00). Rates also were higher for all-cause mortality (15.34 vs 14.51 per-100 person-years; adjusted HR 1.10; 95% CI, 1.07-1.13) and rehospitalization (44.93 vs 37.18 per 100 person-years; adjusted HR 1.21; 95% CI, 1.18-1.24). Conclusion: Even when acute dialysis is not required, survivors of acute kidney injury remain at higher risk of receipt of chronic dialysis thereafter. The absolute risk of death was more than 8 times the rate of chronic dialysis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]