ENDOVENOUS TO ORAL CONVERSION OF ANTIMICROBIALS IN HOSPITALIZED PATIENTS: SCOPE REVIEW

Abstract

Prolonged use of intravenous antibiotic therapy in hospitalized patients may entail risks ranging from undesirable clinical results to increased costs, so conversion to oral therapy may be considered. The aim of this study was to map the scientific evidence on the oral switch to antimicrobials in hospitalized individuals. This is a scope review. Articles were searched in MedLine/Pubmed, BVS and Scopus databases, data collection took place from April 17 to June 16, 2023. Review articles, incomplete or that did not answer the research question were excluded. Titles and abstracts were read through peer review, and disagreements were resolved by consensus among reviewers. Eighteen articles were selected with the mapping of evidence on oral switching of antimicrobials in hospitalized patients, they studied the adult population, skin and soft tissue infections. Our findings revealed that pharmacists were the main professionals involved and among the types of interventions, algorithms, as predominant. Thus, it was concluded that this scope review can contribute to directing evidence-based decisions, leading to the expansion of the strategy in the practice of hospital institutions, with the perspective of future studies to evaluate clinical outcomes.