The Clinimetric Profile of 11 Generic Quality Indicators for Appropriate Antibiotic Use in Hospitalized Patients in Indonesia

BackgroundOne of the efforts in antibiotic stewardship for limiting antibiotic resistance is the assessment of the quality of antibiotic use. To date, the quality and appropriateness of antibiotic use in Indonesia, a low-middle-income non-European country, have not yet been assessed using proven quality indicators (QIs). One recommended tool to measure appropriate empiric antibiotic use in hospitalized patients is the generic QIs reported by van den Bosch et. al., which demonstrated good validity and generalizability. ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to assess the clinimetric profile of 11 generic QIs based on van den Bosch et. al. in admitted adult patients receiving empiric antibiotics in Indonesian hospitals. MethodsThis is an observational study with a cross-sectional design conducted at two government referral hospitals in Jakarta, Indonesia, from August 1, 2022, to February 2, 2023. Adult inpatients who received empiric antibiotics due to suspected infection for [≥]24 hours were included in the study. ResultsIn 500 inpatients from 2 hospitals, all QIs demonstrated good measurability with less than 10% of missing data. Ten QIs showed good applicability of >10%. Four QIs show good performance, while six QIs have significant potential for improvement (two blood cultures are obtained before empiric antibiotic treatment; culture sample is obtained from location suspected of infection; antibiotic is switched from intravenous to oral when clinically possible; antibiotics are stopped when there is no evidence of infection; a guideline is available and renewed every three years; and a guideline is adjusted to the local resistance pattern) making them priority targets for interventions to enhance the quality of antibiotic use in Indonesia. All QIs display good inter-observer reliability, and no moderate or strong correlations are found between QIs. ConclusionThe clinimetric assessment of QIs is imperative before their implementation in any setting different from their country of origin. Of the 11 generic QIs, 10 demonstrated good reliability and applicability at two hospitals in Indonesia. Future intervention studies can utilize these generic QIs to measure improvement in the appropriateness of antibiotic use.