Inpatient Antibiotic Stewardship Core Elements
April 30, 2017
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides the core elements required for both inpatient and outpatient antibiotic (or antimicrobial) stewardship programs (ASP). This post will address the elements for inpatient facilities.
CDC Summary of Core Elements of Hospital Antibiotic Stewardship Programs
- Leadership Commitment: Dedicating necessary human, financial and information technology resources.
- Accountability: Appointing a single leader responsible for program outcomes. Experience with successful programs show that a physician leader is effective.
- Drug Expertise: Appointing a single pharmacist leader responsible for working to improve antibiotic use.
- Action: Implementing at least one recommended action, such as systemic evaluation of ongoing treatment need after a set period of initial treatment (i.e. “antibiotic time out” after 48 hours).
- Tracking: Monitoring antibiotic prescribing and resistance patterns.
- Reporting: Regular reporting information on antibiotic use and resistance to doctors, nurses and relevant staff.
- Education: Educating clinicians about resistance and optimal prescribing.
To get started, you can use this CDC ASP checklist to help determine where your organization currently stands on antibiotic stewardship and help you create a plan for your facility.
You can also join our monthly Jump Start Stewardship webinars to help you through the process. See the Montana ABS Collaborative resources webpage for more information.
If you have any questions or run into issues with your antimicrobial stewardship program implementation and would like help, please use the “Leave a Reply” section below, or email Patty Kosednar directly with your questions or comments. We will have one of our subject matter experts get back to you.
Resource Links:
MT ABS Collaborative Resources Page
CDC Inpatient ASP Website
CDC Outpatient ASP Website
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