“Infection Prevention Buy-In is Essential to Antibiotic Stewardship Efforts”

“Earlier this year, professional societies updated a joint position paper underscoring the synergy of infection prevention programs and antibiotic stewardship programs.

“The issues surrounding the prevention and control of infections are intrinsically linked with the issues associated with the use of antimicrobial agents and the proliferation and spread of multidrug-resistant organisms,” says Mary Lou Manning, PhD, CRNP, CIC, FSHEA, FAPIC, lead author of the paper published concurrently in the American Journal of Infection Control and Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology. “The vital work of IPC and AS programs cannot be performed independently. They require interdependent and coordinated action across multiple and overlapping disciplines and clinical settings to achieve the larger purpose of keeping patients safe from infection and ensuring that effective antibiotic therapy is available for future generations.”

The joint position paper, endorsed by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA), and the Society of Infectious Disease Pharmacists (SIDP), updates a 2012 paper that affirmed the key roles of infection preventionists (IPs) and healthcare epidemiologists (HEs) in promoting effective use of antimicrobials in collaboration with other healthcare professionals. The new paper highlights the synergy of IPC and AS programs, including the importance of a well-functioning IPC program as a central component to a successful AS strategy.”