Antimicrobial stewardship is a coordinated effort to measure and improve how antimicrobials are prescribed by clinicians and used by patients. Improving the prescribing and use is critical to effectively treat infections, improves patient outcomes, reduces microbial resistance, and decreases the spread of infections caused by multidrug-resistant organisms.
The misuse and overuse of antimicrobials is one of the world’s most pressing public health problems. Infectious organisms adapt to the antimicrobials designed to kill them, making the drugs ineffective. People infected with antimicrobial-resistant organisms are more likely to have longer, more expensive hospital stays, and may be more likely to die as a result of an infection.
