Hospital Antibiotic Stewardship

Antibiotic Stewardship Annual Survey

Antimicrobial stewardship refers to a set of commitments and actions designed to optimize the treatment of infections while reducing the adverse events associated with antibiotic use. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that all hospitals implement the Core Elements of Antibiotic Stewardship to improve antimicrobial prescribing practices and reduce the threat of antimicrobial resistance.

The implementation of antimicrobial stewardship programs in acute care hospitals is assessed through the National Healthcare Safety Network’s (NHSN) Patient Safety Component Annual Hospital Survey. Annual surveys are completed by staff in hospitals, and survey questions relating to antimicrobial stewardship gauge a hospital’s uptake of CDC’s Core Elements for hospital antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs).

The Virginia Department of Health has summarized Virginia hospital responses by core element category from the 2021 facility responses.


Antibiotic Stewardship Priority Elements

The Virginia Department of Health has summarized Virginia hospital responses by priority core element category from the NHSN Annual Patient Safety Component Hospital Survey