Charting new territory: outpatient stewardship in immunocompromised patients (first of a two-part series)

Antimicrobial stewardship (AS) among immunocompromised (IC) patients is a growing field. Since most antibiotic use occurs in the outpatient setting, antimicrobial use among IC outpatients represents an opportune area for stewardship. This two-part review explores the current state of outpatient AS in immunocompromised hosts, highlighting potential stewardship interventions and published strategies, as well as barriers in this vulnerable population. In this first section, we will highlight stewardship interventions in clinical syndromes relevant to both immunocompetent and IC hosts, including spectrum and duration of antibiotics for common bacterial infections, antibiotic allergy management, immunizations, periprocedural antimicrobial management, and multiplex polymerase chain reaction diagnostics.