The following is a summary of “Analysis of Patient Adherence to Filling Emergency Department Discharge Prescriptions for Empiric Treatment of Chlamydia,” published in the February 2024 issue of Emergency Medicine by Jackson, et al.

For a study, researchers sought to determine the rate of emergency department (ED) discharge prescription pick-ups of doxycycline for Chlamydia trachomatis infection at two discharge pharmacies.

A retrospective chart review will be conducted using data from the electronic medical record (EMR) from August 1st, 2021, to July 31st, 2022. Adult patients presenting to two EDs in the healthcare system and receiving empiric antibiotic treatment for Chlamydia trachomatis infection before or at ED discharge will be included. Exclusion criteria will encompass pregnant patients, those under 18 years old, individuals without a Chlamydia trachomatis nucleic acid amplification test during their ED visit, and patients whose antibiotic prescription was sent to pharmacies other than the two primary discharge pharmacies. The primary outcome will be the rate of ED discharge prescription pick-ups of doxycycline. Secondary outcomes will include the incidence of repeat positive tests, risk of repeat positive tests in those not filling doxycycline, prescribing adherence to CDC guidelines, and insurance status at discharge.

Out of 730 patients identified, 100 were excluded, leaving 630 participants. Of these, 369 were further excluded, resulting in 261 individuals in the study. Among them, 215 patients (82.4%) picked up their doxycycline prescription, while 46 (17.6%) did not. Additionally, 43 patients (16.5%) with prescribed empiric therapy had positive Chlamydia trachomatis tests, while 209 (83.5%) had negative tests. Furthermore, according to current CDC recommendations, 188 patients (72%) received treatment.

Most patients who received prescriptions from in-hospital discharge pharmacies picked up their prescriptions.

Reference: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0735675723006368