Clinical Report: Impact of the Take 5 Initiative on Antibiotic Duration in Urgent Care

Overview

The Take 5 campaign significantly increased adherence to 5-day antibiotic treatment durations for common infections in urgent care settings, raising prescriptions for ≤5 days from 57.5% to 82.9%. This intervention did not increase rates of new antibiotic prescriptions or hospitalizations within 14 days, indicating maintained clinical safety.

Background

Inappropriate outpatient antibiotic prescribing remains a major concern, with urgent care centers showing high rates of excessive antibiotic use. While many interventions focus on reducing unnecessary prescriptions, optimizing duration when antibiotics are indicated is equally important. Evidence supports that ≤5-day antibiotic courses are effective for many common infections, yet longer durations are frequently prescribed. The Take 5 campaign was developed to promote guideline-recommended 5-day antibiotic durations for common infections in urgent care.

Data Highlights

Key Findings

• The Take 5 campaign led to a significant immediate 10.7% increase in prescriptions for ≤5-day antibiotic courses.
• There was a sustained monthly increase of 0.18% in the proportion of short-duration prescriptions after the intervention.
• The overall proportion of ≤5-day antibiotic prescriptions rose from 57.5% pre-intervention to 82.9% post-intervention.
• No increase in new antibiotic prescriptions or hospitalizations within 14 days was observed, indicating safety of shorter durations.
• The intervention targeted multiple common infections including skin infections, urinary tract infections, sinusitis, otitis media, pneumonia, and COPD exacerbations.

Clinical Implications

Implementing multifaceted stewardship interventions like the Take 5 campaign can effectively reduce antibiotic exposure by promoting shorter, evidence-based treatment durations in urgent care. Clinicians can safely adopt 5-day antibiotic courses for common infections without increasing adverse outcomes, supporting antimicrobial stewardship goals. Such programs complement efforts to reduce unnecessary antibiotic prescribing by optimizing duration when treatment is indicated.

Conclusion

The Take 5 initiative successfully increased adherence to 5-day antibiotic treatment durations in urgent care without compromising patient safety, demonstrating that targeted stewardship interventions can reduce unnecessary antibiotic exposure in ambulatory settings.

References

1. CDC 2016 -- Antibiotic Use in the United States
2. Denver Health Antibiotic Stewardship Program 2008--Current Institutional Guidance
3. Study Authors 2023 -- The Take 5 Initiative: Impact of a Program to Encourage Five-Day Antibiotic Treatment for Common Infections in Urgent Care Settings