Role of Antimicrobial Stewardship Teams in Intensive Care Units

Abstract

In French hospitals, antimicrobial stewardship teams are dedicated to optimize antimicrobial use. They can provide solicited advices by attending ward physicians or unsolicited interventions providing from alerts of the microbiology or the pharmacy. Their role in intensive care units seems logical, because of the high antibiotic exposure of the patients admitted in these units. Several studies have shown that for an infectious disease, physicians advices are associated with higher appropriateness of antibiotic prescriptions and lower use of antibiotics. However, the potential clinical or ecological impact of these interventions is still unknown. Therefore, for infectious disease, physicians must closely work with other members of the multidisciplinary antimicrobial stewardship team. Particularly, a close interactive collaboration with intensivists seems to be essential for the success of the program.