Antimicrobial stewardship programs in seven Latin American countries: facing the challenges

Area of Science:

• Infectious Diseases
• Healthcare Management
• Public Health

Background:

• Over 50% of hospital antibiotic use is unnecessary, contributing to antimicrobial resistance and significant costs.
• Antimicrobial resistance poses a substantial economic burden, estimated at $20 billion USD annually in excess medical costs.
• Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs (ASP) are crucial for reducing inappropriate antibiotic use, combating resistance, and lowering healthcare costs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the development of ASP in seven Latin American hospitals using standardized quantitative indicators.
• To evaluate the impact of tailored interventions on ASP development and antibiotic cost savings.

Main Methods:

• An interventional study involving pre- and post-intervention evaluations using a standardized score tool.
• ASP development was quantified using a score tool adapted from international accreditation standards.
• Tailored on-site training was provided, followed by post-intervention assessments and estimation of monetary savings.

Main Results:

• The average ASP development score across seven hospitals was 65.8% pre-intervention.
• Post-intervention, five hospitals showed an average ASP development score of 82.3%, an increase of 12.0%.
• Key areas for improvement included monitoring, communication, key performance indicators, and prescriber education; three hospitals reported monetary savings.

Conclusions:

• The evaluation tool effectively identified ASP development gaps and guided tailored interventions.
• The implemented strategies successfully improved ASP development in participating institutions.
• The study demonstrated that ASP interventions can lead to measurable monetary savings in antimicrobial costs.