Why Should Nurses Be Involved in Stewardship Programs?

Rita Olans, DNP, CPNP-PC, APRN-BC, assistant professor at MGH Institute of Health Professions, explains the importance of involving nurses in antimicrobial and antibiotic stewardship programs in hospitals.

Interview Transcript (slightly modified for readability)

“Nurses are at the bedside. They see the patient’s progress; they can give important information to [the healthcare] providers, and they can make some really good decisions, or bad decisions, about taking cultures and how they describe things.

What we need to do is engage them in stewardship so that they understand how stewardship works and how to do a better assessment and pass that information on to the physicians or the prescribers.