Antimicrobial Stewardship: Improving Clinical Outcomes by Optimization of Antibiotic Practices

Internet Enduring Material Sponsored by: Stanford University School of Medicine

Presented by: The Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine

Course Description:

Antibiotics are among the most frequently prescribed classes of drugs and it is estimated that approximately 50% of antibiotic use, in both the outpatient and inpatient settings, is inappropriate. At the same time, in contrast to any other class of drugs, every antibiotic use has a potential public health consequence – inappropriate use may not harm only the individual patient, but contributes to societal harm by exerting an unnecessary selective pressure that may lead to antibiotic resistance among bacteria. This video based course will introduce learners to the basic principles of appropriate antibiotic use, demonstrate how to apply these principles to the management of common infections, and outline how to develop and maintain an antimicrobial stewardship program. We will offer a number of illustrative cases, recognizable to the practicing physician in his or her practice to engage learners in the thought processes that lead to optimal decision making, improved outcomes of individual patients, and harm reduction vis-a-vis the bacterial ecology. The course will also explore strategies to implement principles of antimicrobial stewardship both in your practice and also at a program level.