Availability, perceptions, and characteristics of antibiograms among Illinois pediatricians

Availability, perceptions, and characteristics of antibiograms among Illinois pediatricians Kathryn M Spiekerman,1 Sameer J Patel,2,3 Rupal Patel,4 Larry K Kociolek,2,3 1School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago, 2Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, 3Department of Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, 4Department of Pharmacy, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA Abstract: Despite the enormous volume of antibiotics prescribed by pediatricians, resources to promote judicious antibiotic use are primarily limited to hospitals. The primary objective of this survey was to delineate the availability, characteristics, and perceptions of antibiograms among pediatricians. As a secondary objective, we sought to delineate the availability of other infectious diseases (ID)-related educational resources among pediatricians, the perceived need for additional resources, and their general educational preferences. We developed an anonymous electronic survey using the Research Electronic Data Capture tool, and it was sent via email to all members of the Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (ICAAP). Participants were excluded if they had not completed pediatrics residency or if they had not prescribed antibiotics in the past month. Of the 1,825 ICAAP members, 294 (16%) responded; of these, 239 (81%) were eligible and completed the survey. Of the 239 respondents, 139 (58%) had access to an antibiogram and 60 (25%) had access to a pediatric-specific antibiogram. Access to a pediatric-specific antibiogram was associated with subspecialty training (P