Antimicrobial Stewardship in Acute Care Settings

Antimicrobial Stewardship in Acute Care Settings

Understanding Antimicrobial Stewardship in Acute Care Settings: A Guide for Healthcare Professionals

• Antimicrobial stewardship is a growing concern for healthcare professionals as antimicrobial resistance rises. Healthcare professionals are now faced with the challenge of providing the best care for their patients while also ensuring that antibiotics are both effective and safe. This guide provides a comprehensive overview of antimicrobial stewardship for acute care settings and the strategies that can be used to ensure that antibiotics are utilised optimally. It is designed to help healthcare professionals understand the principles of antimicrobial stewardship and how best to incorporate them into their practice. With the proper guidance, healthcare professionals can ensure that their patients receive the best possible care while helping reduce the risk of antimicrobial resistance.

What is antimicrobial stewardship?

• Antimicrobial stewardship is a program that aims to optimise the use of antibiotics. It works to reduce the risk of antibiotic resistance and ensure the effectiveness of antibiotics for future patients. Antimicrobial stewardship programs are designed to provide that antibiotics are used appropriately and will often include the collection and analysis of information on antibiotic use and infection rates to help identify potential areas for improvement. There is a growing global concern about the use of antibiotics due to the rise of antimicrobial resistance. Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria are no longer affected by the antibiotics used to treat infections. This is when antibiotics are misused or too long, which is why antimicrobial stewardship is important.

The importance of antimicrobial stewardship in acute care settings

• Healthcare settings such as hospitals typically have high rates of antibiotic use, which also corresponds to high rates of resistance. Acute care settings are particularly susceptible to the risk of antibiotic resistance due to the high volume of patients who receive antibiotics and thmore extended periodsften stay in hospital for longer periods of time. This may lead to a greattreatment durationsc resistance and shorter durations of treatment. In addition, the intensive nature of acute care settings means that patients are at increased risk of infection, so they may need antibiotics to treat these infections. Overall, the risk is higher in acute care settings when compared to other healthcare settings. Acute care settings also have higher rates of antibiotic resistance than other settings, including long-term care facilities and community settings. This highlights the importance of antimicrobial stewardship programs in these settings and serves as a reminder of the risks associated with not optimising the use of antibiotics.

Strategies for antimicrobial stewardship

• Multiple components make up an antimicrobial stewardship program.
• These components need to be integrated to optimise antibiotic use while also working to reduce the risk of antibiotic resistance.
• Identify and understand the bacterial pathogens in your setting
• To understand the bacteria essentialsing infections in your setting, it is important first to have an accurate baseline of the bacterial pathogens found.
• This can be done by implementing a bacterial surveillance program and/or by identifying pathogens from patient samples.
• Once this information is collected, healthcare professionals can use it to identify areas at high risk for infection, and to understand the bacterial pathogens that are causing infections.
• Assess current antibiotic use in your setting
• In order to understand how antibiotics are currently being used in your setting, it is important to first have accurate data on antibiotic use.
• This can be done using electronic medical records, or by creating an antibiotic checklists and/or working with a medication reconciliation process.
• Once this information is collected, it can be used to identify areas where antibiotic use could be optimised. – Establish antibiotic treatment protocols
• Treatment protocols are sets of standardised instructions that guide healthcare professionals on appropriate antibiotic use.
• When antibiotics are being used appropriately, they can be highly effective, while also being safe. – Promote rational antibiotic use
• Rational antibiotic use is the use of antibiotics that is based on current knowledge and best practices.

Healthcare professionals can promote rational antibiotic use by following the steps outlined above, and by also taking the following steps:

• Always follow the principles of antibiotic stewardship

The three main principles of antibiotic stewardship are listed below:

• Adhere to the appropriate intravenous (IV) therapy guidelines
• IV therapy guidelines set out when antibiotics should be used, and the recommended durations of therapy.
• Provide patient education on antibiotic use
• Patient education is an important part of antimicrobial stewardship programs, as it encourages patients to take an active role in their care. This can help to reduce the use of antibiotics, as well as improve patient outcomes.
• Work with microbiology and/or pathology laboratories to track resistance
• Laboratories can play an important role in antimicrobial stewardship programs.
• They can help to track the frequency of antibiotic resistance, which can provide healthcare professionals with valuable information on the effectiveness of antibiotics.
• They can also help to monitor antibiotic use by tracking the number and type of antibiotics used, as well as the durations of therapy.

The importance of patient education

• Patient education is a key component of any antimicrobial stewardship program. It provides patients with the necessary knowledge and skills to help them understand how best to manage their illness while also helping to reduce their risk of infection. This is particularly important in acute care settings, where antibiotic resistance is higher due to the high usage of antibiotics. Education can be provided in a number of different ways including posters, patient handbooks, and/or videos. It is important to ensure that the content of these resources is appropriate for all patients, and covers topics such as hygiene, self-care, and antibiotic use. Antimicrobial Stewardship in Acute Care Settings

The role of the healthcare team in antimicrobial stewardship

• The healthcare team plays an important role in antimicrobial stewardship. They have direct contact with patients, and can therefore help to ensure that antibiotics are used appropriately. In addition, members of the healthcare team are at risk of infections themselves, and so they can benefit from the same antibiotics they prescribe to their patients. Antimicrobial Stewardship in Acute Care Settings. The healthcare team can help to promote antimicrobial stewardship by following the steps outlined above, and also by taking the following steps:

Tools and techniques to support antimicrobial stewardship

• Many tools and techniques can help to support antimicrobial stewardship programs. These include, but are not limited to, the following: – Electronic medical records – Electronic medical records can help to optimise antibiotic use by recording important information, such as the type and duration of antibiotics used. They can also help to identify areas for improvement by tracking the frequency of antibiotic use for different patient diagnoses. – Antibiotic appropriateness criteria – Antibiotic appropriateness criteria provide guidance on the appropriate use of antibiotics. They can be tailored based on the setting in which antibiotics are being used, and provide healthcare professionals with a set of criteria to help them determine when antibiotics should be prescribed. – Pathogen surveillance – Pathogen surveillance is the tracking of bacterial pathogens, which can be used to help understand the types of bacteria that are causing infections in a setting. It can also be used to track antibiotic resistance, which can help to inform antibiotic use.

The role of the microbiology laboratory in antimicrobial stewardship

• Laboratories play an important role in antimicrobial stewardship programs by helping to track antibiotic resistance. This can be done by testing the bacterial samples obtained from patient samples and/or stools. This can help to track the frequency of resistance, as well as track antibiotic use, which can help to inform appropriate use. Laboratories can also help to promote antimicrobial stewardship by following the steps outlined above, and also by taking the following steps:

The role of the pharmacy in antimicrobial stewardship

• The pharmacy plays an important role in antimicrobial stewardship programs by providing antibiotics to patients. They can also help to promote antimicrobial stewardship by following the steps outlined above, and also by taking the following steps:

Monitoring and evaluating antimicrobial stewardship programs

• Antimicrobial stewardship programs are meant to improve healthcare, and so it is important to monitor their effectiveness. Healthcare professionals can use the information collected from these programs to identify areas for improvement, and to monitor their progress over time. There are a number of ways to monitor and evaluate antimicrobial stewardship programs, including the following: – Conduct surveys – Surveys can be used to track the impact of antimicrobial stewardship programs, as well as identify areas for improvement. Surveys can be targeted towards healthcare professionals and patients, and can focus on topics such as knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to antibiotic use. – Conduct audits – Audits are

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