BackgroundCarbapenems are widely used as broad-spectrum antibiotics but in several cases microbiological cultures are not taken before carbapenem use, therefore hindering the down-scaling to targeted treatment.PurposeTo evaluate the increasing number of cultures requested before using carbapenems because of a pharmaceutical interventions and the results of the cultures; to describe the sensitivity of microorganisms isolated.Material and methodsPre-Post and interventional study including adult patients using carbapenems (ertapenem, meropenem, and imipenem-cilastatin).From June 2014, the department of pharmacy set a recommendation that a sample must be taken from the patient for microbiological culture before carbapenem was used, and the physicians have to check this recommendation to complete the electronic prescription of a carbapenem.The record of every patient with carbapenem prescription was studied for 3 consecutive months; May, before the intervention was set up; June and July, with the intervention already in progress.It was defined as a previous culture, 7 days before prescription.ResultsTwo hundred and sixty one patients (100 in May, 84 in June, 77 in July) were studied; mean age was 60.1 years, 62.1% males.In May, 75.0% of the carbapenems prescriptions had a culture made before antibiotic use, in June, 82.1% and in July 87.3%.During the study period, 209 culture requests were done before carbapenem prescription, 48.4% were negatives, 51.6% positives. 89.8% of the microorganisms isolated were sensitive to narrow-spectrum antibiotics, but just 21.6% of prescriptions for them were down-scaled.ConclusionThe outcome shows a clear improvement in the number of cultures requested by physicians; this allows an optimal use of antibiotics, facilitating the down-scaling strategy which avoids the appearance of antibiotic resistance.Most of the microorganisms isolated were sensitive to antibiotics with a narrower spectrum, which gives more value to the culture at the beginning of the treatment and makes checking the down-scaling of treatment by the department of pharmacy important.References and/or acknowledgementsNo conflict of interest.

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