The role of the multidisciplinary team in antifungal stewardship

Area of Science:

• Infectious Diseases
• Clinical Pharmacy
• Medical Microbiology

Background:

• Invasive fungal diseases (IFD) present significant challenges, including high mortality rates, expensive treatments, and emerging antifungal resistance.
• The empirical use of antifungals is widespread due to diagnostic difficulties, leading to patient toxicity and increased healthcare costs.
• Patient-specific factors, such as varying IFD risk, epidemiology, diagnostic test performance, and drug pharmacokinetics, complicate management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the complexities in managing invasive fungal diseases (IFD).
• To emphasize the need for specialized knowledge beyond traditional antibiotic stewardship.
• To introduce the foundational step in developing an antifungal stewardship (AFS) program: forming a multidisciplinary team.

Main Methods:

• Discussion of challenges in IFD management.
• Review of the necessity for expert input from diverse backgrounds.
• Emphasis on the formation of a multidisciplinary team as the primary step for AFS program development.

Main Results:

• The management of IFD requires a comprehensive approach due to numerous contributing factors.
• Existing antibiotic stewardship programs may not adequately cover the complexities of IFD.
• A multidisciplinary team is essential for creating and implementing effective AFS programs.

Conclusions:

• Effective management of IFD necessitates a dedicated antifungal stewardship (AFS) program.
• The cornerstone of an AFS program is the establishment of a multidisciplinary team with relevant expertise.
• Collaboration among specialists is vital for optimizing patient outcomes in IFD.