IHMT produced a policy paper entitled “Practical guide for the implementation of Antibiotic Stewardship Programs” written by Alexandra Sofia Simões, João Gregório, Pedro Póvoa e Luís Velez Lapão.
The document, available in Portuguese and in English, aims to provide practical advice, based on evidence, to implement antibiotic stewardship programs in Portuguese hospitals in order to improve the quality of antibiotic prescribing, contribute to better clinical outcomes and complement the infection control precautions campaigns, inserted in the program for Prevention and Control of Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance of the Portuguese General Direction of Health.
Antibiotic stewardship programs contribute to the optimization of antimicrobial therapy, ensuring their proper use (indication, dose and certain duration) and minimizing side effects. The adoption of these programs can reduce the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance, the costs of health care and save lives.
Access to the document:
Practical guide for the implementation of Antibiotic Stewardship Programs