To determine the status of programs to improve antimicrobial prescribing at select US hospitals.

Cross-sectional survey.

Pharmacy and infection control staff at all 47 hospitals participating in phase 3 of Project Intensive Care Antimicrobial Resistance Epidemiology.

All 47 hospitals had some programs to improve antimicrobial use, but the practices reported varied considerably. All used a formulary, and 43 (91%) used it in conjunction with at least one of the other three antimicrobial-use policies evaluated: stop orders, restriction, and criteria-based clinical practice guidelines (CPGs). CPGs were reported most commonly (70%), followed by stop orders (60%) and restriction policies (40%). Although consultation with an infectious disease physician (70%) or pharmacist (66%) was commonly used to influence initial antimicrobial choice, few (40%) reported a system to measure compliance with these consultations.

In most hospitals surveyed, practices to improve antimicrobial use, although present, were inadequate based on recommendations in a Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America and Infectious Disease Society of America joint position paper. There is room to improve antimicrobial-use stewardship at US hospitals.

To determine the site and bacterial epidemiology of nosocomial infections (NIs) in children.

6-month prospective study with periodic chart review during hospitalization using a uniform prospective questionnaire in each unit, analyzed at a coordinating center.

20 units in eight European countries: 5 pediatric intensive care units (PICUs), 7 neonatal units, 2 hematology-oncology units, 8 general pediatric units.

All children hospitalized during the study period with an NI according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria.

The overall incidence of NI was 2.5%, ranging from 1% in general pediatric units to 23.6% in PICUs. Bacteria were responsible for 68% (gram-negative bacilli, 37%; gram-positive cocci, 31%), Candida for 9%, and viruses for 22% of cases. The proportion of lower respiratory tract infections was 13% in general pediatric units and 53% in PICUs. Bloodstream infections were most frequent in neonatal units (71% of NIs) and were associated with a central venous catheter in 66% of cases. Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (CNS) was the main pathogen. Eleven percent of NI were urinary tract infections. Gastrointestinal infections were most commonly viral and accounted for 76% of NIs in general pediatric units.

The prevalence of antimicrobial resistance depended on the type of unit. The highest rates were observed in PICUs: 26.3% of Staphylococcus aureus and 89% of CNS were methicillin-resistant, and 37.5% of Klebsiella pneumoniae had an extended-spectrum β-lactamase. Mortality due to NI was 10% in PICUs and 17% in neonatal units.

We found large differences in NI frequency and microbial epidemiology in this European study. Viruses were the main pathogens in general pediatrics units. Catheter-related sepsis and CNS were frequent in newborns. A high frequency of multiresistant bacteria was observed in some units. Clinical monitoring of NIs and bacterial resistance profiles are required in all pediatric units.

To compare the immunogenicity of hepatitis B vaccine administered via intradermal (ID) versus intramuscular (IM) route.

Subjects chose either to specify the route of immunization or to undergo random allocation to vaccination by the ID (0.15 mL) or the IM (1.0 mL) route. Yeast-derived recombinant hepatitis B vaccine was given at 0, 30, and 180 days. Hepatitis B surface antibody (HBsAb) and hepatitis B core antibody (HBcAb) were measured by microparticle enzyme immunoassay.

763 subjects were enrolled. Baseline screening identified 65 subjects (8%) who were positive for HBsAb or HBcAb. Vaccination was completed by 590 (85%) of 698 enrollees (370 ID, 220 IM). Seroconversion rates (geometric mean titers [GMT]>0 IU/mL HBsAb) for those vaccinated ID were 99% and 96% for screening at 9 months and 1 year post-vaccination, respectively; subjects vaccinated intramuscularly had similar rates of 95% and 96%. Seropositivity rates (GMT ≥ 10 IU/mL HBsAb) showed a similar pattern, with 95%, 92%, and 73% at 9 months and 1 and 2 years, respectively, for those vaccinated ID, and 94%, 93%, and 81% for those having IM vaccination. GMT for HBsAb was significantly higher for individuals vaccinated IM than for those vaccinated ID (P<.0001). The GMT ratio for the IM and ID routes decreased over time, being 9.3 at 9 months, 7.8 at 1 year, and 5.9 at 2 years. An unanticipated side effect of intradermal vaccination was skin discoloration at injection sites, which persisted for at least 2 years postvaccination. Two thirds (112/166) of respondents reported that they would have selected the ID route despite the discoloration.

Higher-dose ID vaccination (3 vs 1 μg per injection) uses one sixth of the dose required for standard IM vaccination. It is a cost-effective way to vaccinate populations against hepatitis B virus, but the long-term efficacy of the ID route must still be investigated.