A survey of Children's Hospital Association hospitals finds only 38 percent of member hospitals have an antimicrobial stewardship program in place, according to a study published in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.
However, 36 percent of the hospitals said they were "in the process" of implementing an antimicrobial stewardship program.
While hospitals without established antimicrobial stewardship programs reportedly still perform antimicrobial activities such as prospective audit and feedback, formulary restrictions and following clinical guidelines, 100 percent of hospitals with a antimicrobial stewardship program monitored antimicrobial outcomes, compared to 68 percent of hospitals without a program.
The most commonly monitored antimicrobials were linezolid, vancomycin and carbapenems.
Researchers note that the antimicrobial stewardship programs vary in structure, and they suggest more data are needed to determine which program characteristics are the most effective in ensuring appropriate use of antimicrobials.
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