Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs: A Necessary Component of Health Care

Debra Goff, PharmD, FCCP, infectious disease clinical pharmacist at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, explains the role that antimicrobial stewardship programs have in the fight against multidrug-resistant infections. Dr. Goff paints the picture of looking at a ship and stresses that these programs steer the ship, but everyone needs to help make it work. She also provides a little bit of background on how these programs help inform policy and the responsible use of antibiotics in health care settings, underscoring the fact that they are a “necessary component of health care,” especially since the world is in crisis mode due to the growing threat of resistance.