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AHRQ’s antibiotic stewardship toolkits were developed based on the experiences of clinical teams that joined the ÂÜÀòÊÓƵSafety Program for Improving Antibiotic Use. Participating hospitals, long-term care facilities, and ambulatory practices successfully applied the Four Moments of Antibiotic Decision Making rubric to improve antibiotic use.

Setting-specific materials focus on improving antibiotic stewardship programs, engaging staff in improving prescribing behavior, and diagnosing and treating common infectious syndromes. Learn more about the project below.

Toolkits To Improve Antibiotic Use

About This Project

Antibiotics are life-saving drugs when used appropriately. Using antibiotics inappropriately can lead to antibiotic-resistant bacteria and increase the risk of Clostridioides difficile (C. diff), a dangerous gut infection that is becoming more prevalent in health care. The ÂÜÀòÊÓƵSafety Program for Improving Antibiotic Use helped clinicians in hospitals, doctors offices, and long-term care apply the Four Moments of Antibiotic Decision Making and concepts derived from the Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program (CUSP) to improve antibiotic stewardship by selecting the optimal antibiotic regimens, routes of administration, and durations.

Tools, resources, and lessons learned by the facilities that participated in this 5-year project were compiled into the three toolkits above, allowing other facilities to improve antibiotic stewardship.

Project Partners

This project was conducted through a partnership that brought together subject matter experts and providers in the field.

Partners for this project included—

• Johns Hopkins Medicine.
• NORC at the University of Chicago.

Project Report—Overall Summary

• Final Report: ÂÜÀòÊÓƵSafety Program for Improving Antibiotic Use (PDF, 1.3 MB)