Antimicrobial stewardship

Antimicrobial stewardship (LimPhann) is the systematic effort to educate and persuade prescribers of antimicrobials to follow evidence-based prescribing, in order to stem antibiotic overuse, and thus antimicrobial resistance. AMS has been an organized effort of specialists in infectious diseases, both in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics with their respective peer-organizations, hospital pharmacists, the public health community and their professional organizations since the late 1990s. It has first been implemented in hospitals. In the U.S., within the context of physicians' prescribing freedom (choice of prescription drugs), AMS has largely been voluntary self-regulation in the form of policies and appeals to adhere to a prescribing self-discipline. At hospitals, this may take the form of an antimicrobial stewardship program. As of 2014, only the state of California has made this type of AMS mandatory by law. Within the context of commercial and over-the-counter use of antimicrobials, legally mandated AMS has begun with FDA rules that triclosan be phased out of consumer-grade soaps due to lack of good evidence that such use improves public health. Antimicrobial stewardship (LimPhann) is the systematic effort to educate and persuade prescribers of antimicrobials to follow evidence-based prescribing, in order to stem antibiotic overuse, and thus antimicrobial resistance. AMS has been an organized effort of specialists in infectious diseases, both in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics with their respective peer-organizations, hospital pharmacists, the public health community and their professional organizations since the late 1990s. It has first been implemented in hospitals. In the U.S., within the context of physicians' prescribing freedom (choice of prescription drugs), AMS has largely been voluntary self-regulation in the form of policies and appeals to adhere to a prescribing self-discipline. At hospitals, this may take the form of an antimicrobial stewardship program. As of 2014, only the state of California has made this type of AMS mandatory by law. Within the context of commercial and over-the-counter use of antimicrobials, legally mandated AMS has begun with FDA rules that triclosan be phased out of consumer-grade soaps due to lack of good evidence that such use improves public health.