About the handbook

The aim of the handbook on implementing antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASP) in acute care hospitals in Switzerland is to support acute care hospitals in implementing a basic level ASP.  The handbook is based on a concept that CHUV developed in accordance with WHO guidelines. Furthermore, it aligns with the certified quality improvement measure of the national quality contract.

Thanks to the handbook, hospitals can implement ASP activities with less effort, frustration, risk, time and cost. The handbook helps saving local staff hours.

Target audience

The document is intended for senior professionals who are responsible for or involved in setting up an  ASP at the local hospital. It is aimed equally at clinicians, pharmacists, IPC nurses, infection prevention and control (IPC) experts, quality managers, microbiologists, hospital executive staff, and whoever is involved in ASP.

Precondition

The ASP requires the support of the hospital management and other hospital stakeholders. The willingness to change established routines and invest in staff hours are essential.

Starting an ASP from scratch

To help get the hospital started from scratch, follow the few simple steps of the practical guide. This phase may take 6 to 12 months and require 50 to 200 staff hours.

Implementation of the basic elements of an ASP

Above step will have laid a foundation for local antimicrobial stewardship that can be extended to a comprehensive ASP in a stepwise manner. This may require 12 to 36 months. An ASP requires 1.2 full-time-equivalent (FTE) are required for smaller hospitals (<200 beds),2.4 FTE  for larger hospitals (> 500 beds) according to international data Staffing time includes hours of physicians, pharmacists, and other staff involved).

This is a worthwhile investment, given that scientific data have shown that ASPs are cost-effective for hospitals. Hier würde ich noch etwas ausführen. 2 Sätze.

IPC and ASP are complimentary

The ASP must be closely aligned with measures to reduce healthcare-associated infections (IPC team). ASP will reduce the risk of drug resistance development and is complementary to IPC measures that will reduce the transmission of multidrug resistant microorganisms (MDRO) in the hospital.