This manuscript adheres to the standards for QI excellence (SQUIRE) 2.0 guidelines (22 (link), 23 (link)). Descriptive statistics included mean values and standard deviation (SD) for normally distributed continuous variables, and absolute and relative frequencies for categorical variables. Trends of antibiotic use and of characteristics for the study period (2014–2019) were analyzed using the Cochran-Armitage Trend test. Change over time in continuous variables was assessed using analysis of variance (ANOVA). A p-value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. SAS/STAT software, Version 9.4 (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC) was used for analyses.
Statistical process control charts (SPC) were created (QI Macros, KnowWare International, Inc, Denver, CO) to display and analyze data over time. The following rules were used to determine special cause variation (SCV): one point outside the upper or lower control limits, two of three points beyond 2 SD from the mean on the same side of the center line (CL), four of five successive points beyond 1 SD from the mean on the same side of the CL, eight successive points on the same side of the CL, or six successive increasing or decreasing points (24 (link)).
Statistical process control charts (SPC) were created (QI Macros, KnowWare International, Inc, Denver, CO) to display and analyze data over time. The following rules were used to determine special cause variation (SCV): one point outside the upper or lower control limits, two of three points beyond 2 SD from the mean on the same side of the center line (CL), four of five successive points beyond 1 SD from the mean on the same side of the CL, eight successive points on the same side of the CL, or six successive increasing or decreasing points (24 (link)).
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