Background The vast majority of patients (73%) from the septic surgical ward were discharged with a prescribed antibiotic. Because of the specificity of infections, optimal persistence to drug therapy is essential in achieving optimal clinical outcome.

Purpose To map the factors influencing the adherence and to develop a patient information package based on the results.

Material and methods Based upon a standard, three-part questionnaire, discharged patients were telephone-interviewed by a clinical pharmacist. The questions focused on patient’s knowledge on therapy, measured the adherence and surveyed side effects. Medicines prescribed for patients were collected from the hospital’s medical documentation system. Factors influencing adherence were analysed using statistical methods. Data was aggregated in Microsoft Excel and R programs.

Results Seventy-five patients were discharged from the ward with antibiotic prescriptions between December 2017 and February 2018. Of these, 44 patients were interviewed by telephone and involved in the study. The most frequently prescribed antibiotics were amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (12 cases), cefuroxime (11 cases) and ciprofloxacin (eight cases). Although a significant proportion of respondents (32 patients; 73%) considered it easy to comply with the therapy and believed that they had sufficient information on the prescribed antibiotic, only 23 patients met the criteria of being well informed. Forty-one per cent of respondents used the drug inappropriately in relation to the prescribed dose. Eighteen reported at least one missed dose. After discharge, nine patients did not immediately get the prescribed antibiotics and three patients did not purchase the prescribed drug. Side effects were mentioned by 11 patients, most commonly diarrhoea and abdominal discomfort. Considering optimal drug use, statistically significant differences were found between patients established as well informed and those who were established as inadequately informed (Χ²-test, P-value=0.0144).

Conclusion Taking into account the significant factors revealed, patients’ education in their therapy is critical in achieving optimal adherence. Based on the results of the survey, a patient information package was set up on the prescribed antibiotics to provide more efficient and safer medicine use in the patient’s home-based therapy.

References and/or acknowledgements https://academic.oup.com/jac/article/69/2/309/714114

https://mayoclinic.pure.elsevier.com/en/publications/diagnosis-and-management-of-prosthetic-joint-infection-clinical-p

https://www.scha.org/files/documents/2014regionalmeetings_axon_followup_phone_calls.pdf

No conflict of interest.