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Review
. 2021 May 5:8:20499361211011373.
doi: 10.1177/20499361211011373. eCollection 2021 Jan-Dec.

Antimicrobial stewardship and antibiograms: importance of moving beyond traditional antibiograms

Kenneth P Klinker  1 , Levita K Hidayat  1 , C Andrew DeRyke  1 , Daryl D DePestel  1 , Mary Motyl  1 , Karri A Bauer  2
Affiliations
Review

Antimicrobial stewardship and antibiograms: importance of moving beyond traditional antibiograms

Kenneth P Klinker et al. Ther Adv Infect Dis. .

Abstract

The rapid evolution of resistance, particularly among Gram-negative bacteria, requires appropriate identification of patients at risk followed by administration of appropriate empiric antibiotic therapy. A primary tenet of antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) is the establishment of empiric antibiotic recommendations for commonly encountered infections. An important tool in providing empiric antibiotic therapy recommendations is the use of an antibiogram. While the majority of institutions use a traditional antibiogram, ASPs have an opportunity to enhance antibiogram data. The authors provide the rationale for why ASPs should implement alternative antibiograms, and the importance of incorporating an antibiogram into clinical decision support systems with the goal of providing effective empiric antibiotic therapy.

Keywords: Antimicrobial stewardship; antibiogram; antimicrobial stewardship program.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest statement: All authors are employees of Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Syndromic antibiogram evaluating susceptibility of Pseudomonas aeruginosa respiratory isolates stratified by patient location. ER, emergency room; ICU, medical or surgical ICU; Ward, medical or surgical ward.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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