An Evaluation of the Impact of an OPEN Stewardship Generated Feedback Intervention on Antibiotic Prescribing among Primary Care Veterinarians in Canada and Israel.

Simple Summary: The use of antibiotics by veterinarians can be reduced by providing them with periodic feedback on their antibiotic use. This strategy was evaluated among veterinarians in Canada and Israel by using an interrupted time-series study design. The veterinarians were provided with three feedback reports at an interval. The report contained a visualization comparing their prescribing with their peers. The report was supplemented with a guideline on antibiotic prescribing. It was found that the antibiotic prescribing of the veterinarians reduced significantly with some strong indication of geographical variation in the reduction in antibiotic prescribing due to the periodic feedback. This strategy is highly recommended in a veterinary clinic to reduce the unnecessary use of antibiotics. An interrupted time-series study design was implemented to evaluate the impact of antibiotic stewardship interventions on antibiotic prescribing among veterinarians. A total of 41 veterinarians were enrolled in Canada and Israel and their prescribing data between 2019 and 2021 were obtained. As an intervention, veterinarians periodically received three feedback reports comprising feedback on the participants' antibiotic prescribing and prescribing guidelines. A change in the level and trend of antibiotic prescribing after the administration of the intervention was compared using a multi-level generalized linear mixed-effect negative-binomial model. After the receipt of the first (incidence rate ratios [IRR] = 0.88; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.79, 0.98), and second (IRR = 0.85; 95% CI: 0.75, 0.97) feedback reports, there was a reduced prescribing rate of total antibiotic when other parameters were held constant. This decline was more pronounced among Israeli veterinarians compared to Canadian veterinarians. When other parameters were held constant, the prescribing of critical antibiotics by Canadian veterinarians decreased by a factor of 0.39 compared to that of Israeli veterinarians. Evidently, antibiotic stewardship interventions can improve antibiotic prescribing in a veterinary setting. The strategy to sustain the effect of feedback reports and the determinants of differences between the two cohorts should be further explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]