Collaborative Antimicrobial Stewardship in the Health Department

• Published in: Infectious disease clinics of North America Vol. 34; no. 1; pp. 145 - 160
• Main Authors: Evans, Christopher D., Lewis, James W.S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01-03-2020
• Subjects: Antibiotic resistance; Antibiotic stewardship; Antibiotic stewardship collaboration; Health care–associated infection prevention; Public health; Health care–associated infection prevention; Antibiotic stewardship; Public health; Antibiotic resistance; Antibiotic stewardship collaboration
• ISSN: 0891-5520; 1557-9824
• DOI: 10.1016/j.idc.2019.10.002

Given the population-level implications of antibiotic resistance and the importance of antibiotic stewardship in containment and prevention of resistance, public health has a vested interest in strengthening antibiotic stewardship efforts. There are opportunities for public health collaboration at all levels including local health departments, state public health programs, and through federal public health entities. This article discusses existing public health stewardship activities, opportunities for collaboration between public health and key partners in antibiotic stewardship programs, the potential for improvement and expansion of current activities, and possible new modes of collaboration that could be pursued.