Strategies to enhance rational use of antibiotics in hospital: a guideline by the German Society for Infectious Diseases

• DOI: 10.1007/s15010-016-0885-z
• Publication Date: 2016-04-14T10:02:33Z
• Authors: K. de With; F. Allerberger; S. Amann; P. Apfalter; H.-R. Brodt; T. Eckmanns; M. Fellhauer; H. K. Geiss; O. Janata; R. Krause; S. Lemmen; E. Meyer; H. Mittermayer; U. Porsche; E. Presterl; S. Reuter; B. Sinha; R. Strauß; A. Wechsler-Fördös; C. Wenisch; W. V. Kern
• Keywords: Microbiology (medical); 0301 basic medicine; INTENSIVE-CARE-UNIT; 610 Medizin; Drug Resistance; 610; Inappropriate Prescribing; Guideline; Antimicrobial resistance; CLOSTRIDIUM-DIFFICILE INFECTION; ABS; Communicable Diseases; 03 medical and health sciences; TIME-SERIES ANALYSIS; Anti-Infective Agents; Germany; Humans; ddc:610; Quality of Health Care; Antibiotic stewardship; ddc:610; VENTILATOR-ASSOCIATED PNEUMONIA; Quality of care; RESISTANT STAPHYLOCOCCUS-AUREUS; COMMUNITY-ACQUIRED PNEUMONIA; RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED-TRIAL; Rational use; ANTIMICROBIAL STEWARDSHIP PROGRAMS; 3. Good health; Infectious Diseases; Practice Guidelines as Topic; CLINICAL DECISION-SUPPORT; Pharmacy Service, Hospital; CRITICALLY-ILL PATIENTS

In the time of increasing resistance and paucity of new drug development there is a growing need for strategies to enhance rational use of antibiotics in German and Austrian hospitals. An evidence-based guideline on recommendations for implementation of antibiotic stewardship (ABS) programmes was developed by the German Society for Infectious Diseases in association with the following societies, associations and institutions: German Society of Hospital Pharmacists, German Society for Hygiene and Microbiology, Paul Ehrlich Society for Chemotherapy, The Austrian Association of Hospital Pharmacists, Austrian Society for Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, Austrian Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, Robert Koch Institute.A structured literature research was performed in the databases EMBASE, BIOSIS, MEDLINE and The Cochrane Library from January 2006 to November 2010 with an update to April 2012 (MEDLINE and The Cochrane Library). The grading of recommendations in relation to their evidence is according to the AWMF Guidance Manual and Rules for Guideline Development.The guideline provides the grounds for rational use of antibiotics in hospital to counteract antimicrobial resistance and to improve the quality of care of patients with infections by maximising clinical outcomes while minimising toxicity. Requirements for a successful implementation of ABS programmes as well as core and supplemental ABS strategies are outlined. The German version of the guideline was published by the German Association of the Scientific Medical Societies (AWMF) in December 2013.