Burden of Antibiotic Resistance
–development and pilot test of a questionnaire in intensive care units

Kristina Ivarsson, 20 p.

Supervisors: Liselotte Högberg, PhD, Department of Medical Sciences, ReAct, Uppsala University, Cecilia Stålsby Lundborg, Associate professor MScPharm, PhD, Division of IHCAR, Karolinska Institutet
Examiner: Margareta Hammarlund-Udenaes

Background: Over the years antibiotics have brought many serious infectious diseases under control and have saved millions of lives. But these gains are now seriously jeopardized by the emergence and spread of resistant bacteria. Especially intensive care units (ICU) worldwide are faced with increasingly rapid emergence and spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Antibiotic resistance in the ICUs has made treating infections very difficult, and in some cases impossible. It has emerged as an important variable influencing patient mortality and overall resource use in the ICU setting.

Aim: The general aim of this pilot study was to develop and test the feasibility of a pilot questionnaire targeting physicians´ experience on the burden antibiotic resistant bacterial infections at their ICU.

Method: A questionnaire was developed and pre-tested. The final version was distributed to physicians from different parts of the world. This pilot study was a cross-sectional study with both a qualitative and a quantitative component. In total about 120 were sent out.

Result: The results demonstrate that a majority of the respondents consider antibiotic resistance to be a burden at their ICU monthly or more often. Of the respondents 50% had encountered a patient that had died of an infection without any therapy options due to antibiotic resistance. None of the respondents do never experience burden at the ICU.

Conclusion: Overall this small study has highlighted a number of alarming findings. Antibiotic resistant bacterial infections constitute a burden at ICUs worldwide. Assessing the implications of increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistant bacteria is important. A larger study needs to be completed in order to get significant results.