- Payton, Kurlen;
- Bennett, Mihoko;
- Schulman, Joseph;
- Benitz, William;
- Stellwagen, Lisa;
- Darmstadt, Gary;
- Quinn, Jenny;
- Kristensen-Cabrera, Alexandria;
- Breault, Courtney;
- Bolaris, Michael;
- Lefrak, Linda;
- Merrill, Jeff;
- Sharek, Paul
OBJECTIVE: There is widespread overuse of antibiotics in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). The objective of this study was to safely reduce antibiotic use in participating NICUs by targeting early-onset sepsis (EOS) management. STUDY DESIGN: Twenty-eight NICUs participated in this statewide multicenter antibiotic stewardship quality improvement collaborative. The primary aim was to reduce the total monthly mean antibiotic utilization rate (AUR) by 25% in participant NICUs. RESULT: Aggregate AUR was reduced by 15.3% (p < 0.001). There was a wide range in improvement among participant NICUs. There were no increases in EOS rates or nosocomial infection rates related to the intervention. CONCLUSION: Participation in this multicenter NICU antibiotic stewardship collaborative targeting EOS was associated with an aggregate reduction in antibiotic use. This study informs efforts aimed at sustaining improvements in NICU AURs.