AAP Policy Statement: Antibiotic Stewardship Programs Offer Effective Strategies to Reduce Unnecessary Prescriptions and Improve Patient Outcomes

Antibiotics are among the most commonly used medications in pediatric care, but they are frequently overused, contributing to the public health crisis of antibiotic resistance. In a new policy statement, “Antibiotic Stewardship in Pediatrics,” the American Academy of Pediatrics discusses the rationale for programs that monitor and evaluate the appropriate prescribing of antibiotics in inpatient and outpatient settings. The statement published in the January 2021 Pediatrics (published online Dec. 28) cites growing evidence demonstrating that antibiotic stewardship programs can reduce antibiotic overuse while improving patient outcomes. In addition to highlighting the importance of inpatient antibiotic stewardship programs, the statement emphasizes that most antibiotic prescribing occurs in the outpatient setting, and that studies show at least half of these prescriptions are considered inappropriate. AAP notes that antibiotic use can also lead to unintended, harmful effects to the patient, including Clostridioides difficile infections (CDIs), and other drug-related adverse events, such as end-organ toxicities, diarrhea, rashes, cytopenia, and anaphylaxis. In the statement, AAP provides recommendations on personnel, infrastructure and activities required for inpatient and outpatient antibiotic stewardship programs, as well as approaches to evaluating their effectiveness.

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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.