An outpatient antimicrobial stewardship needs assessment.

Area of Science:

• Infectious Diseases
• Public Health
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Antimicrobial resistance is a growing global health threat.
• Antibiotic prescribing practices in outpatient settings significantly impact resistance.
• Understanding provider decision-making is crucial for effective antimicrobial stewardship.

Purpose of the Study:

• To survey outpatient providers' antibiotic prescribing habits.
• To assess provider perspectives on antimicrobial stewardship.
• To identify favored stewardship strategies in an academic tertiary care setting.

Main Methods:

• Survey administered to outpatient providers at a large urban academic tertiary care referral center.
• Data collected on current antibiotic prescribing practices.
• Inquiries made regarding views on antimicrobial stewardship.

Main Results:

• Numerous clinical and non-clinical factors influence antibiotic prescribing decisions.
• Electronic medical record-based interventions were identified as a preferred stewardship strategy.
• Provider insights into current practices and stewardship were gathered.

Conclusions:

• Provider antibiotic prescribing is influenced by complex factors.
• Electronic medical record interventions show promise for antimicrobial stewardship.
• Targeted strategies are needed to optimize outpatient antibiotic use.