Antimicrobial Stewardship Program Members' Perspectives on Program Goals and National Metrics

Area of Science:

• Infectious Diseases
• Healthcare Management
• Public Health Policy

Background:

• Antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) are critical for combating antimicrobial resistance.
• National metrics are increasingly being considered to standardize ASP performance.
• Understanding current ASP practices and perceptions is vital for effective metric development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the stated goals of ASPs with the outcomes they collect.
• To assess ASP members' opinions on the establishment of national metrics.
• To identify discrepancies between ASP practices and potential national reporting requirements.

Main Methods:

• Conducted telephone interviews with 21 members of antimicrobial stewardship programs.
• Utilized open-ended questions to gather detailed information on ASP goals, outcomes, and metric preferences.
• Employed content analysis to categorize qualitative responses into predefined ASP-metric themes.

Main Results:

• The most frequently cited ASP goal was antimicrobial appropriateness (76%).
• Commonly tracked outcomes included antimicrobial use and microbial outcomes (both 71%).
• Antimicrobial use was the most desired national metric (67%).

Conclusions:

• A notable divergence exists between stated ASP goals, collected outcomes, and preferences for national metrics.
• This misalignment poses challenges for implementing standardized national ASP performance measures.
• Enhancing alignment is essential for successful adaptation to upcoming ASP-related regulations.