Major articleAntibiotic information application offers nurses quick support

•The antibiotic application that centralizes information supports nurse's antibiotic-related tasks.•The results show a good fit with current practice, likely because of the human-centered design approach.•The availability of easily accessible information in itself does not lead to uptake of new tasks and emancipation of nurses in antimicrobial stewardship.

BackgroundNurses can be crucial contributors to antibiotic stewardship programs (ASPs), interventions aimed at improving antibiotic use, but nurse empowerment in ASPs adds to their job complexity. Nurses work in complex settings with high cognitive loads, which ask for easily accessible information. An information application (app) was developed to support nurses in ASPs. The efficiency, effectiveness, and user satisfaction regarding this antibiotic app were tested in a pilot study.MethodsThe app was introduced into 2 lung wards of a local teaching hospital. During the 8-month pilot study, the 62 nurses of the wards had access to the app. Changes in user satisfaction regarding information support, safety attitudes, and ASP behavior were assessed with a questionnaire. At baseline, 28 nurses completed the (e-mail) questionnaire; after the study, 18 nurses participated. Scenario-based tests were done to assess app efficiency and effectiveness at baseline (n = 16) and in a randomized control (without the app, n = 17) and intervention condition (with the app, n = 17).ResultsSignificant improvements were found regarding task support (P = .041), reliability (P = .004), unobtrusiveness (P = .000), relevance (P = .002), user friendliness (P = .000), speed, and hyperlinks (P = .001). An improvement in communication was observed regarding nurse-physician understanding (P = .034). With the app, nurses solved the scenarios faster than without it.ConclusionsThe human-centered design approach and persuasive strategy of task support were effective in reducing time needed to find information. Stewardship-related behaviors need active education strategies.