Antibiotic stewardship
Antibiotics are powerful tools that have enabled health care
providers to readily treat otherwise deadly infections. Prompt initiation of
antibiotics significantly improves patient outcomes. However, research has
demonstrated that many antibiotics prescribed are either unnecessary or
inappropriate. Patients who are exposed to unnecessary antibiotics are at risk
of serious side effects, such as adverse drug reactions or Clostridiodies
difficile infections (CDI). Misuse of antibiotics also contributes to the
development of antibiotic-resistant infections.
Improving antibiotic use plays an important role in
promoting patient safety. Developing health care facility-based programs
dedicated to improving antibiotic use – known as antibiotic stewardship
programs (ASPs) – supports the goal of providing the right antibiotics, at the
right time, at the right dose, for the right duration for every antibiotic
prescription. ASPs also play a critical role in reducing unintended
consequences of antibiotics, such as development of CDI and antibiotic
resistance.
These resources help hospitals and health
systems promote antibiotic stewardship through the creation of institutional
ASPs.