Getting Started with Stewardship for Acute Care Facilities
New CDC data states more than half of antibiotic prescribing for selected events in hospitals was not consistent with recommended prescribing practices. Antibiotics have serious adverse effects, which occur in roughly 20% of hospitalized patients who receive them.
Patients who are unnecessarily exposed to antibiotics are placed at risk for those adverse events with no benefit. Antimicrobial stewardship programs can help protect patients from these adverse events.
The resources below are designed to assist all acute care healthcare professionals with implementing a program.
WA DOH and UW-CSiM’s Hospital Highlights
Washington’s rural and critical access hospitals are enhancing their stewardship efforts through the University of Washington Centers for Stewardship in Medicine (UW-CSiM)’s Intensive Quality Improvement Cohort (IQIC). A survey was sent out to WA participants containing interview-style questions with the goal of highlighting their work. We are pleased to be able to share their responses in this special Hospital Highlight feature for Antibiotic Awareness Week 2024.
Implementation Resources
- WA DOH and UW-CSiM’s Troubleshooting Your Critical Access Hospital’s (CAH’s) Stewardship Program FAQs
Provides guidance for overcoming common barriers faced by stewardship programs in CAHs - WA DOH and UW-CSiM’s Tips for Obtaining C-Suite Buy-in for Stewardship at a Critical Access Hospital (CAH)
Contains tips to assist CAH stewardship programs with obtaining leadership support - WA DOH and UW-CSiM’s Antimicrobial Stewardship Projects for Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs)(PDF)
Provides specific ideas and checklists to assist CAHs with implementing a stewardship program - CDC's Core Elements of Hospital Antibiotic Stewardship Programs
Provides guidance on creating a new stewardship program - CDC's Implementation of Antibiotic Stewardship Core Elements at Small and Critical Access Hospitals
Provides guidance on creating a new stewardship program at small and critical access hospitals - CDC's Priorities for Hospital Core Element Implementation
Supplemental guidance to enhance existing stewardship programs
Regulations & Accreditations
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
- Antibiotic Stewardship Condition of Participation for Hospitals
- Antibiotic Stewardship Condition of Participation for Critical Access Hospitals
The Joint Commission
DNV Healthcare
Clinical Guidance
Local Clinical Guideline Creation Guidance Document
- Best Practices for Creating Local Antimicrobial Stewardship Clinical Practice Guidelines in Healthcare Settings (PDF)
- Created in partnership with the University of Washington’s Centers for Stewardship in Medicine (UW-CSiM), this document assists facilities with creating local guidelines
- UW’s Centers for Stewardship in Medicine (formerly UW-TASP) Antibiotic Guide
Contains evidence-based antibiotic recommendations for the treatment of common diseases
National Clinical Guidelines
- IDSA Practice Guidelines
Guidelines for common disease states such as pneumonia, skin infections, and urinary tract infections - SHEA’s Strategies to Prevent Surgical Site Infections in Acute-Care Hospitals
Provides practical recommendations to assist hospitals in implementing and prioritizing surgical site infection efforts - GOLD Guidelines for COPD
An evidence-based strategy document for COPD management - CLSI’s M100 and M60
Standards for antimicrobial and antifungal susceptibility testing
Data
CDC’s Antibiotic Resistance and Patient Safety Portal (ARSP)
Helps facilities explore and visualize national and state-specific data relevant to both outpatient and inpatient antibiotic stewardship programs
Education
Specialized Training and Educational Opportunities
- Making A Difference in Infectious Diseases (MAD-ID) Certificate Programs
Designed to help practitioners who are currently or planning to pursue antimicrobial stewardship activities. - Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists (SIDP) Certificate Programs
This program provides education on the healthcare provider’s role in using antimicrobials wisely - CDC Training on Antibiotic Stewardship
Free continuing education opportunity for nurses and other healthcare professionals - University of Washington's Center for Stewardship in Medicine (UW-CSiM, Formerly UW-TASP)
- UW-CSiM offers weekly video conferences bringing together UW stewardship experts and stewardship partners in Washington hospitals.
- Sessions feature clinical didactics, antimicrobial stewardship recommendations, and case consultations
- To learn how to join UW-CSiM, contact Natalia Martinez-Paz at nmp@uw.edu.
Educational Documents for Clinicians
- WA DOH’s Penicillin Allergy Delabeling Newsletter Article (PDF)
A one-pager that contains statistics showing the importance of de-labeling, plus links to resources to assist facilities with implementation - WA DOH’s Medical Provider’s FAQs about Urinary Tract Infections (UTI)(PDF)
An evidence-based document that addresses some common drivers for antibiotic prescribing for asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB)
Patient Education
Questions and Feedback
Email us at: ams@doh.wa.gov