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Educational Antimicrobial Stewardship Strategies

  • Antimicrobial Stewardship (AL Pakyz, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Treatment Options in Infectious Diseases Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Opinion statement

Educational interventions to improve prescriber and patient knowledge of appropriate antibiotic use are a key component of successful antimicrobial stewardship campaigns in diverse healthcare settings. Provider education may be an impactful strategy for reducing unnecessary prescribing of antibiotics for respiratory tract infections and asymptomatic bacteriuria. Educational interventions designed to improve adherence to prescribing guidelines are more consistently able to impact prescribing of a specific class of medications (e.g., third generation cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones) than overall adherence to a set of specific treatment recommendations. Further research is needed to assess the independent impact of educational programs in bundled stewardship efforts and the duration of their effect on prescribing. Facilitating evidence-based discussions on antimicrobial use between patients and providers has been shown to reduce inappropriate prescribing. However, the impact of these programs on other important metrics in primary care, including duration of physician-patient time, wait times, and number of return office visits, has not been addressed. Educational campaigns in non-clinical settings may be effective ways to educate adults and children on principles of antimicrobial stewardship. Future studies should examine the impact of education outside of the physician’s office on future patient behavior.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacotherapy & Outcomes Science, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy, 410 N 12th Street, P.O. Box 980533, Richmond, VA, 23298-0533, USA

    L. A. H. Gravatt PharmD, BCPS

  2. Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy, 410 N 12th Street, P.O. Box 980533, Richmond, VA, 23298-0533, USA

    J. A. Patterson BS & S. Franzese BS

Authors
  1. L. A. H. Gravatt PharmD, BCPS
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  2. J. A. Patterson BS
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  3. S. Franzese BS
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Correspondence to L. A. H. Gravatt PharmD, BCPS.

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Drs Gravatt, Patterson and Franzese declare no conflict of interest.

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This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by the authors.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Antimicrobial Stewardship

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Gravatt, L.A.H., Patterson, J.A. & Franzese, S. Educational Antimicrobial Stewardship Strategies. Curr Treat Options Infect Dis 8, 84–92 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40506-016-0073-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40506-016-0073-9

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