In December 2024, the European Commission's Innovation Radar recognised the “Online Antimicrobial Stewardship (ABS) Assessment Platform for Hospitals”, developed by the ID-CARE team within the REVERSE Horizon2020 project, as an exploring innovation. This label identifies the Assessment Platform as a key innovation, using novel technologies and with the future potential to be a game-changer for industry. It also notes the strong commitment from the organisations behind its development and, in the case of the Assessment Platform, also highlights that the innovation was women-led.
Audit and Feedback within the REVERSE ABS Programme
As part of the ABS Programme (REVERSE Work Package 4), led by the ID-CARE team, audit and feedback activities are fundamental in promoting responsible antimicrobial use. Regular reviews of antibiotic prescriptions help assess adherence to established protocols, identify discrepancies, and provide actionable feedback to prescribers. These activities promote a culture of accountability and continuous improvement among healthcare professionals. When paired with real-time feedback, audits have proven more effective in improving antibiotic use.
The REVERSE ABS online instrument
The ID-CARE team developed a dedicated online instrument available to all REVERSE hospitals, allowing local ABS teams to evaluate various aspects of antibiotic prescribing, including adherence to established antibiotic guidelines, the appropriate use of microbiological tests, and the justification for antibiotic therapy. The tool covers empiric and targeted therapy, medical and surgical prophylaxis, therapy duration, and diagnostic stewardship. The REVERSE ABS Audit tool supports audits that provide real-time feedback on antibiotic prescriptions and audits of past prescriptions. Moreover, data is collected at two levels: ward level, which provides aggregated data on antibiotic prevalence and appropriateness, and prescription evaluations, which offer detailed insights into specific prescriptions, including antibiotic type, dosage, route of administration, and justification.
Key features and potential benefits of the instrument
The REVERSE ABS Audit tool is designed to optimise the assessment of antibiotic prescribing practices within the framework of the REVERSE ABS Programme. Its core purpose is to facilitate rapid and effective evaluation of antibiotic use, providing targeted feedback to prescribers. Furthermore, the tool helps ensure long-term monitoring of antibiotic prescribing, allowing for feedback not only in the short term but also over the medium and long term. This ongoing evaluation helps to identify strengths and weaknesses within the REVERSE hospitals, enabling a more tailored and effective implementation of antimicrobial stewardship activites.
The REVERSE project (GA: 965265) aims to develop and implement cost-effective strategies and tools for the prevention and clinical management of healthcare-associated infections due to multidrug-resistant organisms, aiming to reduce the burden of antimicrobial resistance in high-prevalence healthcare settings.
Comments