Antimicrobial stewardship
Antimicrobial Stewardship
Antimicrobial stewardship (pronunciation: an-tee-my-kro-bee-al stew-erd-ship) is a systematic approach aimed at promoting the appropriate use of antimicrobials, improving patient outcomes, reducing microbial resistance, and decreasing the spread of infections caused by multidrug-resistant organisms.
Etymology
The term "antimicrobial stewardship" is derived from the words "antimicrobial", referring to substances that kill or inhibit the growth of microbes, and "stewardship", which means the responsible management of something.
Overview
Antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) are coordinated interventions designed to improve and measure the appropriate use of antimicrobials by promoting the selection of the optimal antimicrobial drug regimen, dose, duration of therapy, and route of administration. ASPs aim to achieve optimal clinical outcomes related to antimicrobial use, minimize toxicity and other adverse events, reduce the costs of health care for infections, and limit the selection for antimicrobial resistant strains.
Key Components
The key components of antimicrobial stewardship include:
- Prescription Audit and Feedback: Regular review of antimicrobial prescriptions to ensure appropriateness.
- Education and Training: Providing healthcare professionals with knowledge and skills to use antimicrobials wisely.
- Guidelines and Clinical Pathways: Development and implementation of local antimicrobial policies based on national guidelines and local resistance patterns.
- Antimicrobial Formulary Restriction: Restricting the use of certain antimicrobials to limit the emergence of resistance.
Related Terms
- Antimicrobial Resistance: The ability of a microbe to resist the effects of medication that once could successfully treat the microbe.
- Antimicrobial: An agent that kills microorganisms or stops their growth.
- Microbes: Microscopic organisms, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa.
See Also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Antimicrobial stewardship
- Wikipedia's article - Antimicrobial stewardship
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