Antimicrobial stewardship: optimizing antibiotic use in an era of increasing resistance and rising costs.

Program Description With antimicrobial resistance on the rise and very few new pharmaceutical agents in development, a well-managed antimicrobial stewardship program in the hospital becomes the first-line defense against the emergence of resistance and provides not only a cost-containment measure but also ensures the continued efficacy of available antimicrobials. A successful stewardship program knows and understands the local epidemiology and utilizes a multidisciplinary strategy to ensure the selection of an appropriate antibiotic at the right dose for the right duration. In addition, stewardship in the community-based parenteral antiinfective therapy (CoPAT) program provides an opportunity for an integrated patient-centric model of care as well as continunity of care when patients transition from inpatient to outpatient setting.