Open AccessAntimicrobial stewardship program in pediatric medicine
Author(s) -
Probst Varvara,
Islamovic Florinda,
Mirza Ayesha
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
pediatric investigation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2574-2272
DOI - 10.1002/ped4.12292
Subject(s) - antimicrobial stewardship , medicine , health care , intensive care medicine , antibiotic resistance , antimicrobial , limiting , multidisciplinary approach , stewardship (theology) , best practice , antimicrobial drug , antibiotics , political science , mechanical engineering , chemistry , organic chemistry , politics , law , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , engineering
The rising threats from antimicrobial resistance due to inappropriate utilization of antimicrobial agents in health care including the pediatric population has been a topic of concern at the global level for the last several decades. The antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) is a multidisciplinary institutional initiative focusing primarily on the improvement of antimicrobial prescribing practices and limiting inappropriate use. ASPs play an important role in the implementation of healthcare strategies in pediatrics worldwide to reduce antimicrobial resistance. Many published reports demonstrate how adapted ASPs in pediatrics result in improvement of unnecessary antimicrobial utilization, decreasing drug resistance and treatment failure, minimization of adverse clinical outcomes, decreasing healthcare costs and hospital length of stay, and optimization of diagnostic strategies. However, some barriers in pediatric ASP still exist. This narrative review describes core elements of ASP, the impact of implemented ASPs on pediatric healthcare, and challenges of pediatric ASP as seen by the authors.