Implementation of a cellulitis management plan in three australian regional health services to address an evidence–practice gap in antibiotic prescribing

Abstract

Despite the availability of evidence-based guidelines, antibiotics for cellulitis remain inappropriately prescribed. This evidence–practice gap is more evident in low-resource settings, such as rural hospitals. This implementation study developed and introduced a cellulitis management plan to improve antibiotic prescribing for cellulitis in three health services in regional Australia. Appropriateness of antibiotic prescribing for cellulitis at Day 1 was the primary outcome measure. Adults with ICD-10-AM codes for lower-limb cellulitis admitted as inpatients of the three health services between May and November 2019 (baseline, n = 165) and March and October 2020 (postimplementation, n = 127) ..