Antibiotic Stewardship

Publication Date: April 13, 2016

Background

Background

Approaches to optimize the use of both existing antibiotics and newly developed antibiotics are of critical importance to ensure that we continue to reap their benefits and provide the best care to patients.

Antibiotic stewardship has been defined as “coordinated interventions designed to improve and measure the appropriate use of antibiotic agents by promoting the selection of the optimal antibiotic drug regimen including dosing, duration of therapy, and route of administration.”

The benefits of antibiotic stewardship include improved patient outcomes, reduced adverse events including Clostridium difficile infection (CDI), improvement in rates of antibiotic susceptibilities to targeted antibiotics, and optimization of resource utilization across the continuum of care.

IDSA and SHEA strongly believe that antibiotic stewardship programs are best led by infectious disease physicians with additional stewardship training.

Interventions

Intervent...

...authorization and/or prospective audit...


...against relying solely on didactic...


...mparison of Preauthorization and Prospective...


...st antibiotic stewardship programs...


...e suggest ASPs implement interventions to improv...


...antibiotic stewardship interventions de...


...suggest the use of strategies (e.g., antibiotic...


...uggest incorporation of computerized clin...


...nst the use of antibiotic cycling as a steward...


Optimization

...ptimizati...

...ecommend that hospitals implement phar...


...st the same for vancomycin. (W - Weak, L - Low)...


...ed patients, we suggest ASPs advocate f...


...Ps implement programs to increase both a...


...ith a history of β-lactam allergy, we suggest...


...e recommend that ASPs implement guide...


Microbiology and Laboratory Diagnostics

...and Laboratory Diagnostics

...t development of stratified antibiograms over...


...est selective and cascade reportin...


...the use of rapid viral testing for respiratory pa...


...id diagnostic testing in addition...


...n ICUs with suspected infection, we suggest the us...


...with hematologic malignancy at risk of c...


Measurement

...easurement

...suggest monitoring antibiotic use as...


...suring antibiotic costs based on prescriptions or...


...that consider the goals and size of t...


...sible Metrics for Evaluation of Int...


Special Populations

...al Populations...

...suggest ASPs develop facility-specific g...


...mplementation of ASP interventions to improve the...


...and skilled nursing facilities, we sugg...


...suggest implementation of antibiotic stewards...


...ill patients, we suggest ASPs provide su...