Antimicrobial Stewardship

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) challenges the treatment of clinical infections. Despite the decline in infectious diseases mortality rates, infections are more difficult to eliminate or contain in the host, resulting in poorer outcomes to treatment, longer hospital inpatient stays, and increased mortality. Written by international experts in the field and supported by the review of the available evidence, including example case studies, Antimicrobial Stewardship provides a practical how-to guide on this growing area. Divided into three sections, the first sets the scene, looking at the key problems of antimicrobial resistance. Section two examines and identifies the key components of an antimicrobial stewardship program. Finally, the book explores specialist areas of antimicrobial stewardship ranging from antimicrobial pharmacokinetics and dynamics, to near patient testing, and infection biomarkers. Antimicrobial Stewardship will be a valuable and practical resource for infection trainees, as well as specialists from the medical, pharmacy, and nursing professions.

About the Author

Matthew Laundy is a consultant microbiologist at St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. He has a special interest in antimicrobial stewardship, OPAT, paediatric infections and medical informatics. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists and a member of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. Mark Gilchrist is a Consultant Pharmacist in Infectious Diseases at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, and an Honorary Lecturer at Imperial College, London. Mark has a specialist interest in Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy (OPAT) and global antimicrobial stewardship initiatives. Mark is a past chair of UK Clinical Pharmacy Infection Network and is a spokesman for the Royal Pharmaceutical Society on Antimicrobials. In 2013 Mark was awarded Fellow of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society Faculty. Laura Whitney is a Consultant Antimicrobial Pharmacist at St George's University Hospitals NHS Trust and an Honorary Senior Lecturer at Kingston University. Her specialist interests include; antimicrobial stewardship, management of invasive fungal infections, and the treatment and prevention of Clostridium difficile infection. Laura is a member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain and is a current committee member of the UK Pharmacy Infection Network.