title: Antimicrobial stewardship.
abstract: The overuse and misuse of antimicrobial agents has detrimental effects on patients, the health care system, and society. Inappropriate antimicrobial use contributes to the rising cost of health care, the emergence of multidrug resistant organisms, and adverse drug reactions. Antimicrobial stewardship programs provide standard, evidence-based approaches to encourage judicious use of antimicrobial agents. This review summarizes the goals of antimicrobial stewardship programs, the members needed to initiate and sustain them, antimicrobial stewardship strategies, barriers to the implementation and maintenance of the programs, approaches to measure their effects, and the basic steps needed to initiate them.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, The Johns Hopkins Medical Institution, 200 North Wolfe Street Suite 3095, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA. ptamma1@jhmi.edu
authors.forename: Pranita D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Tamma
authors.forename: Sara E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Cosgrove
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000592:standards*; D017723:Drug Utilization Review; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D006801:Humans; D017053:Infection Control / Q000592:standards*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D016730:Program Development
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents