Quick Facts – Antimicrobial Stewardship

Inappropriate or unnecessary antibiotic use has led to antibiotic resistance. However, the implementation of sound antimicrobial stewardship programs can prevent the overuse of antimicrobials and help mitigate this global problem. Infection prevention is a crucial component of antimicrobial stewardship, but some wounds do become infected despite appropriate care. Wound cleansing and debridement are commonly used to manage bioburden, and culture-guided antibiotic therapy may be needed in patients with infected wounds. Wound care professionals will find this fact sheet useful because it reviews antimicrobial stewardship specifically as related to wound care. The following topics are covered:Strategies for antimicrobial stewardship in wound careInfection prevention methodsAntimicrobial stewardship in hospitals and skilled nursing facilitiesImportance of staff educationConditions that mimic wound infectionAntimicrobial time-outs