Photo Credit: Nataliia Nesterenko

Nearly all acute care hospitals have implemented the seven Core Elements of Hospital Antibiotic Stewardship Programs (ASP), according to data from the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) annual hospital survey that was published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases. Arjun Srinivasan, MD, and colleagues used the NHSN survey to assess facility demographics and ASP practices, as well as uptake of the core elements. The uptake of all seven elements improved from 41% in 2014 to 95% in 2021, and uptake of the six priority elements was 10% in 2021, with 46% of hospitals meeting four or five of the six. The researchers found that antibiotic stewardship was included in a contract or job description for approximately 60% of program leaders. The percentage of co-led physician–pharmacist programs increased from 23% to 64%, and 76% of hospitals reported employing audits with feedback interventions.