Impact of Implementation of the Core Elements of Outpatient Antibiotic Stewardship within Veterans Health Administration Emergency Department and Primary Care Clinics on Antibiotic Prescribing and Patient Outcomes

The Core Elements of Outpatient Antibiotic Stewardship provide a framework to improve antibiotic use, but evidence supporting safety are limited. We report the impact of Core Elements implementation within Veterans Health Administration sites.

Implementation of the Core Elements was associated with reduced antibiotic prescribing for uncomplicated ARIs and a reduction in hospitalizations. ARI diagnostic coding changes were observed.