Antimicrobial Stewardship Study Questions

Describe the goals of an antimicrobial stewardship program.

• Achieve optimal clinical outcomes

• Effectively treat infections

• Protect patients from harms of unnecessary antibiotic use

• Combat antimicrobial resistance

 How do front-end and back-end stewardship interventions/optimization differ?

Interventions: Often occurs BEFORE order has been initiated

Referred to as front end approaches

Focus on education

Optimization: Often occurs AFTER order has been initiated

Referred to as back end approaches

Focus on education

What role does education play within an antimicrobial stewardship program?

It teaches healthcare workers when to prescribe antibiotics, informs patients not to misuse them, and raises public awareness about the dangers of antibiotic resistance.

For each of the four Core AMS functions, provide 2-3 intervention/strategy

examples that can be employed by an antimicrobial stewardship program

Interventions	De labeling antibiotic allergies Order sets and treatment algorithms
optimization	De-escalation Broaden therapy IV to PO conversions Limit excessive duration
micro and lab diagnostics	Develop and utilize antibiograms  Selective susceptibility reporting Advocate for use of rapid viral and respiratory pathogens diagnostics Advocate for Non-Culture-Based Fungal Markers
outcomes measurements	Tracking C.Diff infection rates Number of interventions made Percent of interventions accepted