Implementation of antimicrobial stewardship policies in U.S. hospitals: Findings from a national survey

Abstract

objective. To describe the use of antimicrobial stewardship policies and to investigate factors associated with implementation in a national sample of acute care hospitals. design. Cross-sectional survey. participants. Infection Control Directors from acute care hospitals participating in the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN). methods. An online survey was conducted in the Fall of 2011. A subset of hospitals also provided access to their 2011 NHSN annual survey data. results. Responses were received from 1,015 hospitals (30% response rate). The majority of hospitals (64%) reported the presence of a policy; use of antibiograms and antimicrobial restriction policies were most frequently utilized (83% and 65%, respectively). Respondents from larger, urban, teaching hospitals and those that are part of a system that shares resources were more likely to report a policy in place (P