The Rationale for a Mandatory Antibiotic Stewardship Rotation During Residency: What Worked, What Needs More Work

Department

Infectious Diseases

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America

Abstract

Reports of antibiotic stewardship (AS) integration into the > 1000 United States internal medicine and family practice residency core curricula are scarce, but residents value such training. To help address this gap, and the projected shortage of physicians with training for establishing and leading an AS program (ASP), we describe the rationale for, and the output and shortcomings of, a dedicated AS rotation. Residents critically review, in real-time, inpatient antibiotic orders, provide feedback to the prescribers, learn the mechanics and requirements of an ASP, and complete a preliminary quality improvement project. Program evaluations are uniformly positive, noting limited opportunities otherwise to clarify optimal antibiotic choices or discuss antibiotics in depth. Nine posters at national conferences and 1 publication have roots in this rotation. Three alumni matriculated to accredited US infectious diseases fellowships. We invite others to join us in calling for more AS training opportunities during residency.

First Page

1334

Last Page

1338

DOI

10.1093/cid/ciaa029

Volume

71

Issue

5

Publication Date

1-14-2020

Link to Full Text

Share

COinS