{"id":6274,"date":"2025-11-21T11:15:12","date_gmt":"2025-11-21T17:15:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.unmc.edu\/infectious-disease\/?p=6274"},"modified":"2025-11-19T08:20:31","modified_gmt":"2025-11-19T14:20:31","slug":"antibiotic-awareness-week-advanced-strategies-for-antibiotic-stewardship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.unmc.edu\/infectious-disease\/2025\/11\/21\/antibiotic-awareness-week-advanced-strategies-for-antibiotic-stewardship\/","title":{"rendered":"Antibiotic Awareness Week: Advanced Strategies for Antibiotic Stewardship"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"panel body-content\"><div class=\"panel__container\">\n<p><strong>Why Advanced Stewardship Matters<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Basic prescribing principles such as avoiding antibiotics for viral infections are essential, but they\u2019re not enough to curb antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Hospitals and clinics need <strong>advanced stewardship strategies<\/strong> to optimize antibiotic use, improve patient outcomes, and reduce resistance rates. These strategies go beyond education and require system-level interventions supported by data and technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Core Advanced Interventions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Antibiotic Time-Outs<\/strong><br>At 48\u201372 hours after initiating therapy, pause and reassess:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Is the antibiotic still needed?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Can we narrow the spectrum based on culture results?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Can we switch from IV to oral therapy? This simple intervention reduces unnecessary exposure and improves targeted therapy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Audit and Feedback<\/strong><br>Regular review of prescribing patterns with feedback to clinicians is one of the most effective stewardship tools. Peer comparison and constructive feedback encourage adherence to guidelines without punitive measures.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>EMR-Based Decision Support<\/strong><br>Integrate clinical decision support into electronic medical records:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Alerts for duplicate therapy or prolonged duration.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Embedded order sets aligned with institutional guidelines.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Dose calculators for renal adjustment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Diagnostic Stewardship<\/strong><br>Encourage appropriate use of microbiology tests and rapid diagnostics to guide therapy decisions. Avoid unnecessary cultures that lead to overtreatment.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Building a Multidisciplinary Team<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Effective stewardship requires collaboration:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Pharmacists<\/strong> for dosing and drug selection.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Microbiologists<\/strong> for rapid reporting.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Infection preventionists<\/strong> for surveillance and education.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Clinicians<\/strong> for bedside implementation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Patient Education Tip<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Patients may worry when antibiotics are stopped or changed. Try the following approach:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c<em>We\u2019re adjusting your antibiotic based on your test results. This ensures you get the safest and most effective treatment while reducing side effects.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Provide clear explanations and written instructions when therapy changes occur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key Takeaways<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Advanced stewardship strategies\u2014time-outs, audit-feedback, EMR support\u2014are proven to reduce resistance and improve outcomes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Collaboration across disciplines is essential.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Patient communication builds trust and adherence.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Resources for Clinicians:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.idsociety.org\/practice-guideline\/implementing-an-ASP\/\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"IDSA\/SHEA Antimicrobial Stewardship Guidelines, opens in a new window\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">IDSA\/SHEA Antimicrobial Stewardship Guidelines<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/antibiotic-use\/hcp\/core-elements\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"CDC Core Elements for Hospitals, opens in a new window\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CDC Core Elements for Hospitals<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Check out some of our UNMC ID Faculty members scholarly work <\/strong>on Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/journals\/antimicrobial-stewardship-and-healthcare-epidemiology\/article\/stewarding-beyond-the-95-implementation-of-overnight-review-of-rapid-blood-culture-identification-panel-results-by-intensive-care-unit-pharmacists\/A6865C4ECCBD58E95922214597F1C55B\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Stewarding beyond the 9\u20135: Implementation of overnight review of rapid blood culture identification panel results by intensive care unit pharmacists, opens in a new window\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Stewarding beyond the 9\u20135: Implementation of overnight review of rapid blood culture identification panel results by intensive care unit pharmacists<\/a> (multiple authors)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/web.methodistcollege.edu\/hubfs\/AntimicrobialStewardship.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Implementing an Effective Antimicrobial Stewardship Program , opens in a new window\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Implementing an Effective Antimicrobial Stewardship Program <\/a>(Juan Teran, MD)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/ofid\/article\/11\/4\/ofae196\/7641096?login=false\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"A Critical Need: More Data on Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs in Critical Access Hospitals, opens in a new window\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">A Critical Need: More Data on Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs in Critical Access Hospitals<\/a> (multiple authors)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/journals\/infection-control-and-hospital-epidemiology\/article\/abs\/improving-antibiotic-prescribing-for-acute-bronchitis-in-the-ambulatory-setting-using-a-multifaceted-approach\/7874DA2A54DD10605A1AF331A944F72B\">Improving antibiotic prescribing for acute bronchitis in the ambulatory setting using a multifaceted approach<\/a> (multiple authors)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<form name=\"s2form\" method=\"post\" action=\"https:\/\/blog.unmc.edu\/infectious-disease\/subscribe2\/\"><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"ip\" value=\"216.73.216.108\" \/><span style=\"display:none !important\"><label for=\"firstname\">Leave This Blank:<\/label><input type=\"text\" id=\"firstname\" name=\"firstname\" \/><label for=\"lastname\">Leave This Blank Too:<\/label><input type=\"text\" id=\"lastname\" name=\"lastname\" \/><label for=\"uri\">Do Not Change This:<\/label><input type=\"text\" id=\"uri\" name=\"uri\" value=\"http:\/\/\" \/><\/span><p><label for=\"s2email\">Your email:<\/label><br><input type=\"email\" name=\"email\" id=\"s2email\" value=\"Enter email address...\" size=\"20\" onfocus=\"if (this.value === 'Enter email address...') {this.value = '';}\" onblur=\"if (this.value === '') {this.value = 'Enter email address...';}\" \/><\/p><p><input type=\"submit\" name=\"subscribe\" value=\"Subscribe\" \/>&nbsp;<input type=\"submit\" name=\"unsubscribe\" value=\"Unsubscribe\" \/><\/p><\/form>\r\n\n<a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"\/voicedwhispering.php\" style=\"display: none;\" title=\" HKwEGkY FiolVdutpiRbHi q\"><\/a><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Why Advanced Stewardship Matters Basic prescribing principles such as avoiding antibiotics for viral infections are essential, but they\u2019re not enough to curb antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Hospitals and clinics need advanced stewardship strategies to optimize antibiotic use, improve patient outcomes, and reduce resistance rates. These strategies go beyond education and require system-level interventions supported by data [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":562,"featured_media":6256,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[207,68],"tags":[55,51,90,233],"class_list":["post-6274","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-antibiotic-awareness-week","category-antimicrobial-stewardship","tag-antibioticawarenessweek","tag-antibioticresistance","tag-antimicrobialstewardship","tag-usaaw25"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.unmc.edu\/infectious-disease\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6274","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.unmc.edu\/infectious-disease\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.unmc.edu\/infectious-disease\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.unmc.edu\/infectious-disease\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/562"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.unmc.edu\/infectious-disease\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6274"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blog.unmc.edu\/infectious-disease\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6274\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6276,"href":"https:\/\/blog.unmc.edu\/infectious-disease\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6274\/revisions\/6276"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.unmc.edu\/infectious-disease\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6256"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.unmc.edu\/infectious-disease\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6274"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.unmc.edu\/infectious-disease\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6274"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.unmc.edu\/infectious-disease\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6274"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}