IDSA released a guideline on outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy in Nov 2018. The guideline covers details on patient selection, antimicrobial selection for OPAT service in one's center, types of IV devices for the drug's delivery as well as monitoring of OPAT service.

NICE guideline 2018 was released recently with the draft sent out to and shared with the public and health care professionals preceding this release for comments and editing. The guideline supports the use of beta lactams in treatment of UTI, something that was not supported by IDSA UTI guideline in the past.

National Antibiotic Surveillance Report Malaysia (2017)

National Antibiotic Surveillance Report Malaysia (2017) produced by the Antibiotic Resistance Surveillance Reference Laboratory, Bacteriology Unit, Infectious Diseases Research Centre, Institute for Medical Research, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

This course will equip clinicians who frequently prescribe antimicrobials with knowledge and tools to improve their use of these essential medications in daily clinical practice. Through case based examples, the course will highlight how antimicrobial stewardship principles can be applied to common clinical scenarios. We will first review foundational clinical knowledge necessary to use antimicrobials wisely. Then, we will illustrate how clinicians can incorporate this knowledge into the management of patients with common infections through adherence to the five core competencies of appropriate antimicrobial prescribing. This course will provide a framework for approaching each clinical encounter from the perspective of combating antimicrobial resistance. We hope it will assist you in your practice and inspire you to be a champion of antimicrobial stewardship.

Malaysian Pharmaceutical Society recently organised an annual scientific meeting on 8-9 May 2018, focussing on AMS. This event is jointly organized with Pharmacy Practice and Development Division, Ministry of Health.

The objectives of the meeting were: 1. To get an update on the use of antibiotics for the management of infectious diseases 2. To share experiences on effective approach to tackle antimicrobial resistance in healthcare facilities.

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Presentations from the meeting are available here.

CDC works to improve antibiotic use in inpatient healthcare settings, such as acute-care facilities, through the implementation of antibiotic stewardship programs designed to ensure that hospitalized patients receive the right antibiotic, at the right dose, at the right time, and for the right duration.

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Check out their training videos and fact sheets on AMS.

The National Centre for Antimicrobial Stewardship (NCAS) is a group of healthcare professionals committed to promoting the rational use of antimicrobial drugs throughout Australia. NCAS was established in 2015 as a Centre for Research Excellence funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia. 

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Check out the monthly Journal Club webinars which they have archived to learn more about AMS. They also have cool infographics on the topic.

Check out this page from guidance on AMS from ECDC and other European countries.

IDSA supports broad implementation of antimicrobial stewardship programs across all health care settings (e.g., hospitals, long-term care facilities, long-term acute care facilities, ambulatory surgical centers, dialysis centers, and private practices.

Take a look at their guideline for developing institutional programs to enhance antimicrobial stewardship, an activity that includes appropriate selection, dosing, route, and duration of antimicrobial therapy.  The primary goal of antimicrobial stewardship is to optimize clinical outcomes while minimizing unintended consequences of antimicrobial use, including toxicity, the selection of pathogenic organisms (such as Clostridium difficile), and the emergence of resistance.  Thus, the appropriate use of antimicrobials is an essential part of patient safety and deserves careful oversight and guidance.

The Sinai Health System-University Health Network Antimicrobial Stewardship Program has been involved in the development of recommendations for management and best practices. Their aim is to improve individual patient care, reduce hospital costs, and slow the spread of antimicrobial resistance by measuring and promoting the proper use of antimicrobials by choosing the appropriate agents, doses and durations.

The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) is the leading professional association for infection preventionists (IPs) with more than 15,000 members. Our mission is to create a safer world through the prevention of infection. This is achieved by the provision of better care to promote better health at a lower cost, with AMS being one of their agenda.

Take a look at the resources that they have compiled to promote the appropriate use of antimicrobials.

SHEA has partnered with IDSA for over a decade to develop treatment guidelines and programmatic recommendations for antimicrobial stewardship.

The Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy is a global leader in addressing public health preparedness and emerging infectious disease response. Founded in 2001, CIDRAP is part of the Academic Health Center at the University of Minnesota.

Created in 2005 ReAct is one of the first international independent networks to articulate the complex nature of antibiotic resistance and its drivers. Here one can download the toolbox that can be used for teaching purposes on antibiotic resistance

This is a booklet and it is aimed at providing practical recommendations for healthcare workers in hospitals
to improve the quality of antibiotic prescribing and thereby improve patient clinical outcomes.

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Comprehensive, coordinated and effective surveillance of antimicrobial resistance and antimicrobial use in Australia. It is a national priority and a critical component of the Australia’s First National Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy 2015–2019.  The Commission has developed the AURA Surveillance System to support strategies to prevent and contain AMR. In the website, it contains various information including Antimicrobial Stewardship book.