Systematic review of the use of time series data in the study of antimicrobial consumption and Pseudomonas aeruginosa resistance

Abstract

Objectives: In the field of antimicrobial resistance, the number of studies using time series data (TSD) has increased recently. The purpose of this study was to systematically review all studies on antimicrobial consumption and Pseudomonas aeruginosa antimicrobial resistance in healthcare settings that have used TSD.

Methods: A systematic review of the literature up to June 2017 was conducted. All studies that have used TSD and have examined in-hospital antimicrobial consumption and P. aeruginosa resistance rates or incidence were eligible for inclusion; no other exclusion criteria were applied. Data on the structure, terminology used, methods and results for each article were recorded and analysed where possible.

Results: A total of 36 studies were retrieved from PubMed, of which 23 were in accordance with the inclusion criteria. Thirteen studies were quasi-experimental studies and ten were ecological observational studies. Twenty studies collected TSD for both parameters, and the statistical methodology time series analysis was applied in nine studies.

Discussion: Most of the studies were published in the last 8 years. The interrupted time series design was the most widespread. As expected, there was high heterogeneity with regard to study design, terminology and statistical methods applied.

Keywords: Antimicrobial; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Resistance; Time series analysis; Time series data.