Antibiotic stewardship: Structure and implementation

Abstract

Antibiotic resistance is a part of bacterial evolution and therefore unavoidable. Scarcity of novel treatment options requires prudent use of available antibiotics in order to decelerate the spread of resistance. This is the aim of antibiotic stewardship (ABS) programmes. The implementation of strategies that optimize antibiotic prescription and therapy necessitates the deployment of personnel as well as of structural resources. Necessary requirements for staff and strategies based on their evidence are described in the updated German S3 ABS Guideline. In the future, patients with infectious diseases will benefit from accelerated microbiological diagnostics as early adequate treatment not only reduces antibiotic consumption but also improves patient outcome. In addition, training of infectious disease specialists will substantially contribute to enhanced quality of care of patients with infectious disease.