What do Infection Preventionists know about antimicrobial stewardship: a pilot study

Abstract

BACKGROUND Infection preventionists (IPs) are important members of the antimicrobial stewardship (AS) team. However, not all IPs have the knowledge and skills to be contributing members of that team. The purpose of this pilot study was to describe the IPs knowledge and attitudes towards AS. METHODS In 2017 a descriptive survey was sent out to a convenience sample of IPs in the intermountain west. The questionnaire was adapted from a previously validated survey given to physicians and pharmacists. The questionnaire included 8 demographic questions and 15 questions with sub questions addressing 1) Overall knowledge; 2) Antimicrobial delivery; 3) Antimicrobial knowledge; 4) Antimicrobial resistance; and 5) Antimicrobial resources and education. RESULTS A total of 45 responses were received. The respondents were mostly registered nurses (88%), female (88%), had a bachelor's degree (56%), and worked in a hospital setting (65%). Although 80% of IPs reported having an AS program in their health care setting and 84% thought it extremely important, only 53% of IPs indicated being very familiar and engaged in AS practices. When asked about antimicrobial use 92% agreed that antimicrobials were overused nationally. However, when asked if antimicrobials were over used in their health care setting only 28% agreed. Further, 73% of IPs felt that staff nurses should be involved in AS, while only 60% felt that IPs should be involved in interventions aimed to improve appropriate antimicrobial use. Additionally, 73% of IPs believed that the spread of antimicrobial resistance can be reduced by changing infection control practices. CONCLUSIONS This study found that IPs believe AS is important although many are not engaged in AS. Interestingly, IPs recognize antimicrobial misuse as a problem nationally but not in their own setting. These findings can be used to engage and educate IPs about their role in AS.