How to leverage medication use evaluations for antimicrobial stewardship goals: a primer for physicians

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Quality Improvement Science
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Medication Use Evaluations (MUEs) are structured tools for optimizing medication use in healthcare.
• MUEs address safety, cost, and appropriateness concerns for medications, aligning with Antimicrobial Stewardship Program (ASP) goals.
• While pharmacists often lead MUEs, physicians may lack experience in this quality improvement process.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide guidance for stewardship physicians on engaging effectively in the MUE process.
• To empower physicians to contribute to MUEs, even without prior experience.
• To highlight the role of MUEs in advancing antimicrobial stewardship and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Main Methods:

• Guidance development based on the MUE process.
• Focus on physician engagement from topic identification to implementation support.
• Emphasis on leveraging MUEs for stewardship and trainee development.

Main Results:

• Physicians can effectively lead or contribute to MUEs by following structured guidance.
• MUEs provide a platform for physicians to address antimicrobial-related issues and promote stewardship.
• The process facilitates interdisciplinary collaboration and offers leadership opportunities for trainees.

Conclusions:

• Stewardship physicians can significantly contribute to MUEs, enhancing medication safety and antimicrobial stewardship.
• MUEs serve as a valuable tool for physicians to drive quality improvement initiatives within healthcare systems.
• This guidance aims to bridge the training gap and foster physician involvement in MUEs.