Infectious Diseases Society of America and Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America have published new guidelines and recommendations to help healthcare facilities implement antibiotic stewardship programs.
The guidelines were designed to be tailored to local needs. Here are four highlights from the report.
- Preauthorization and prospective review of antibiotics are among the many recommendations to ensure antibiotic stewardship programs are most effective.
- Physicians, pharmacists and infectious disease specialists should lead antibiotic stewardship programs. Infectious disease specialists are crucial because they have the expertise and education to ensure the proper drug is being prescribed for the right diagnosis.
- The goals of an antibiotic stewardship program should be based on the specific problems identified by each healthcare facility — as well as an assessment of available resources — to ensure interventions are performed with consistency.
- Research has shown these programs improve patient outcomes, reduce antibiotic resistance and lower healthcare costs.
"We want hospital administrators to understand the importance of giving antibiotic stewardship their full support to ensure its success," said Sara Cosgrove, MD, lead co-author of the guidelines. "Distributing a few brochures or holding grand rounds won't do it. It's vital that antibiotic stewardship be integrated into the hospital's culture and that infectious disease specialists guide strategies that have been shown to work."
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