title: Antimicrobial Stewardship Program Members' Perspectives on Program Goals and National Metrics.
abstract: This study compares antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP)-stated goals and outcomes collected as well as opinions regarding national metric establishment.
  
  
  
  Twenty-one ASP members underwent telephone interviews answering open-ended questions about ASP goals, outcomes collected, and opinions about national metrics. Content analysis was used to code responses into predefined ASP-metric categories.
  
  
  
  The most common ASP goal was antimicrobial appropriateness (76%), outcomes tracked were use and microbial outcomes (both 71%), and desired national metric was use (67%).
  
  
  
  Stated-goals, outcomes tracked, and opinions regarding national metric establishment did not fully align. With ASP-related regulations looming, it is important that alignment is increased.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacotherapy and Outcomes Science, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy, Richmond, Virginia.
authors.forename: Jacob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Van Parys
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, Virginia.
authors.forename: Michael P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Stevens
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacotherapy and Outcomes Science, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy, Richmond, Virginia.
authors.forename: Leticia R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Moczygemba
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacotherapy and Outcomes Science, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy, Richmond, Virginia.
authors.forename: Amy L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Pakyz
mesh_terms: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006040:Goals; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents
keywords: antimicrobial stewardship program goals; antimicrobials; national metrics