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Editorial
. 2024 Apr 16;4(1):e43.
doi: 10.1017/ash.2024.34. eCollection 2024.

The importance of pharmacist engagement in diagnostic stewardship

Kimberly C Claeys  1 , Daniel J Morgan  2   3 , Melissa D Johnson  4   5
Affiliations
Editorial

The importance of pharmacist engagement in diagnostic stewardship

Kimberly C Claeys et al. Antimicrob Steward Healthc Epidemiol. .

Abstract

Diagnostic stewardship is increasingly recognized as a powerful tool to improve patient safety. Given the close relationship between diagnostic testing and antimicrobial misuse, antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) pharmacists should be key members of the diagnostic team. Pharmacists practicing in AMS already frequently engage with clinicians to improve the diagnostic process and have many skills needed for the implementation of diagnostic stewardship initiatives. As diagnostic stewardship becomes more broadly used, all infectious disease clinicians, including pharmacists, must collaborate to optimize patient care.

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Conflict of interest statement

KCC reports speaking and service for bioMérieux and research funding from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Merck & Co. KCC has served on advisory boards for Melinta Therapeutics, La Jolla Pharmaceuticals, and AbbVie. MDJ has received consulting fees from Astellas, Cidara, Merck, Entasis, Paratek, Pfizer, and Theratechnologies, author royalties from UpToDate, and research grants to her institution from Astellas, Scynexis, Charles River Laboratories, and Merck & Co and has served on the Board of the Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists. She also has a patent pending for gene expression-based classifiers of fungal infection.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Examples of pharmacist-led diagnostic stewardship activities. Note: ASB, asymptomatic bacteriuria; BPA, best practice alert; BSI, bloodstream infection; CDI, Clostridioides difficile infection; LTRI, lower respiratory tract infection; MIC, minimum inhibitory concentration; PCT, procalcitonin; PSA, Pseudomonas aeruginosa; RDT, rapid diagnostic test. *Examples included in cited references.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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    1. Balogh E, Miller BT, Ball JR, The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Committee on Diagnostic Error in Health Care. Improving Diagnosis in Health Care. Washington, DC: National Academies Press (US); 2015.
    1. Hueth KD, Prinzi AM, Timbrook TT. Diagnostic stewardship as a team sport: interdisciplinary perspectives on improved implementation of interventions and effect measurement. Antibiot (Basel) 2022;11:250. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Newman-Toker DE, Nassery N, Schaffer AC, et al. Burden of serious harms from diagnostic error in the USA. BMJ Qual Saf 2023;33:109–120. - PMC - PubMed

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