Module 4: Antibiotic Stewardship (Stanford University)

What is one of the primary goals of formal antimicrobial stewardship programs in the inpatient setting?

• To increase the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics

• To achieve optimal clinical outcomes related to antimicrobial use

• To eliminate the need for infection control programs

• To reduce the number of hospital staff

What is the main advantage of preauthorization as a strategy in antimicrobial stewardship?

• It increases the use of unnecessary antibiotics

• It reduces initiation of unnecessary and inappropriate antimicrobials

• It delays patient care

• It eliminates the need for pharmacist involvement

Why is collaboration with infection control programs important in antimicrobial stewardship?

• To increase the spread of resistance

• To minimize the spread of resistance

• To reduce the number of clinicians involved

• To eliminate the need for audits

Which antibiotics are noted for having high bioavailability and can be converted from IV to oral therapy?

• Penicillins and cephalosporins

• Fluoroquinolones and linezolid

• Vancomycin and gentamicin

• Amoxicillin and erythromycin

Which of the following is an example of a program that can help reduce nephrotoxicity and improve time to therapeutic levels?

• Vancomycin and aminoglycosides per pharmacy

• Routine use of broad-spectrum antibiotics

• Prolonged use of oral antibiotics

• Avoiding all antibiotic use

What is a key strategy to decentralize routine antibiotic review?

• Self-stewardship and antibiotic timeouts

• Increasing antibiotic prescriptions

• Eliminating all checklists

• Ignoring stop orders

Why is education alone considered a weak intervention in antimicrobial stewardship programs?

• It is best used with other interventions for sustained effects

• It always leads to resistance

• It is never effective

• It increases infection rates

When designing interventions for antifungal stewardship, what should programs consider?

• Local epidemiology and antifungal resistance rates

• Only national guidelines

• Patient preferences only

• Cost of medications only

In what situation might therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) be especially helpful?

• Patients failing therapy or with deep-seated disseminated disease

• Patients with mild infections

• All patients regardless of condition

• Patients with no risk factors

What is the primary reason for setting up an Antimicrobial Stewardship Program (ASP) in a hospital?

• To reduce hospital staff workload

• To improve quality and lower costs by managing antimicrobial use

• To increase the number of hospital beds

• To promote hospital branding