BibTex format
@article{Shah:2024,
author = {Shah, A},
journal = {Journal of Fungi},
title = {The effects of COVID-19 on antifungal prescribing in the UK – lessons to learn},
url = {http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/115700},
year = {2024}
}
Citation
RIS format (EndNote, RefMan)
TY - JOUR
AB - Fungal infections are increasingly prevalent however antifungal stewardship attracts little funding or attention. Previous studies have shown that knowledge of guidelines and scientific evidence regarding antifungals is poor, leading to prescribing based on personal experiences and the inherent biases this entails. We carried out a retrospective study of inpatient antifungal usage at two major hospitals. We assessed the longitudinal trends in antifungal usage and the effect of COVID-19 on antifungal prescription, alongside levels of empirical and diagnostically-targeted antifungal usage. Our results showed that the longitudinal patterns of total systemic antifungal usage within the trusts were similar to national prescribing trends, however the composition of antifungals varied considerably, even when looking exclusively at the more homogenous group of COVID-19 patients. We show a high level of empirical antifungal use in COVID-19 patients, with neither trust adhering to international recommendations and following prior prescribing habit. This study highlights the significant challenges to optimise antifungal use with prescribing behaviour largely dictated by habit, a lack of adherence to guidelines and high rates of empirical non-diagnostic based prescribing. Further research and resource are required to understand the impact of antifungal stewardship on improving antifungal prescribing behaviours in this setting and the effects on outcome.
AU - Shah,A
PY - 2024///
SN - 2309-608X
TI - The effects of COVID-19 on antifungal prescribing in the UK – lessons to learn
T2 - Journal of Fungi
UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/115700
ER -
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