Clinical Pharmacology & Biopharmaceutics
Open Access

Abstract

Antimicrobial stewardship programs have been associated with reduced antibiotic resistance rates, decreased antibiotic exposure and reduced drug costs. Antimicrobial stewardship programs can slow drug resistance by controlling and changing how antimicrobial agents are prescribed and administered. Several stewardship strategy recommendations from the Infectious Disease Society of America are available to guide hospitals in the development of successful programs. Still, initiating stewardship programs can be challenging in hospitals that lack the appropriate administrative support, infrastructure and personnel to drive initiatives. Smaller community hospitals often have competing priorities with limited available resources. Our hospital identified antimicrobial stewardship as a method to decrease inappropriate antibiotic use and costs, after a pharmacy review identified increased antibiotic drug use and a lack of cost savings with standard practice. A pharmacy led antimicrobial stewardship program with collaboration from multiple disciplines can result in influencing appropriate prescribing of antibiotics, improved quality of care, improved economic outcomes and savings, increasing regulatory compliance.

Biography

Esther Alabi, after completing her Bachelors in Chemistry, went on to complete her PharmD at Howard University in 2001. She completed her ASHP Accredited residency at the University of Maryland Medical Center and completed one year of fellowship at the Food and Drug Administration, Division of Cardiac and Renal medicine. She has practiced in a number of inpatient and outpatient settings including pediatrics, adult, geriatrics, trauma and ambulatory care. She is currently an associate professor for the pharmacy student experiential program for a number of schools of pharmacy. She is a certified Kaizen leader and greenbelt in clinical transformation projects and lean six sigma not limited to inventory management, antimicrobial stewardship, medication safety. She is also certified in medication therapy management (MTM and ACLS, lipid management). She is currently a Clinical Manager at Cardinal Health with a practice site located at Bon Secours Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.