Antibiotic Stewardship Team and the Role of Pharmacist

Inappropriate use of antibiotics increases the risk of resistance development. Development of resistance causes prolongation of hospital stay, increased mortality and health care costs. Antibiotic stewardship seeks to optimize clinical results by limiting the emergence and transmission of resistant bacteria. Antibiotic stewardship program consists of two core strategies and various complementary strategies. Comprehensive antibiotic stewardship programs have demonstrated decreased in antibiotic use and costs. Ideally, antibiotic stewardship program consists of a multidisciplinary team including infectious disease specialist doctor, clinical pharmacist trained in infectious diseases, clinical microbiologist, information systems specialist, infection control professional and hospital epidemiologist. The clinical pharmacist should be knowledgeable about the appropriate use of antibiotics, and appropriate training programs should be made available to achieve and maintain this expertise. There are important roles and responsibilities of the clinical pharmacists in the antibiotic stewardship team as to promote the optimal use of antibiotics, reduce transmission of infections, educate health professionals, patients, and the public. Hence, an active participation of qualified pharmacists should be ensured in the antibiotic stewardship team