Core Elements of Outpatient Antibiotic Stewardship

The Core Elements of Outpatient Antibiotic Stewardship provides a framework for antibiotic stewardship for outpatient clinicians and facilities that routinely provide antibiotic treatment. This report augments existing guidance for other clinical settings.

Antibiotic stewardship is the effort to measure and improve how antibiotics are prescribed by clinicians and used by patients. Improving antibiotic prescribing involves implementing effective strategies to modify prescribing practices to align them with evidence-based recommendations for diagnosis and management.

Commitment

• A Commitment to Our Patients About Antibiotics – 11 x 17 pdf icon[PDF – 1 page]

Action for Policy and Practice

• Delayed Prescribing Prescription Pads – 4.5 x 5.5 pdf icon[PDF – 1 page]
• Delayed Prescribing Prescription Pads – 8.5 x 11 pdf icon[PDF – 1 page]
• Symptom Relief Prescription Pads – 4.5 x 5.5 pdf icon[PDF – 1 page]
• Symptom Relief Prescription Pads – 8.5 x 11 pdf icon[PDF – 1 page]
• Adult Treatment Recommendations
• Pediatric Treatment Recommendations

Tracking and Reporting

• Resource for Health Departments: Example letter to provide feedback to providers about number of antibiotics prescribed pdf icon[PDF – 2 pages]
• Resources for Health Plans
  • Fact Sheet: Improving outpatient antibiotic use through audit and feedback pdf icon[PDF – 2 pages]
  • Example Letter: Providing feedback on quality measure performance for the 2019 Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) Measure Avoidance of Antibiotic Treatment for Adults with Acute Bronchitis pdf icon[PDF – 2 pages]
  • Example Letter: Providing feedback on quality measure performance for the 2020 Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) Measure Avoidance of Antibiotic Treatment for Acute Bronchitis/Bronchiolitis pdf icon[PDF – 2 pages]

Education and Expertise

• CDC Training on Antibiotic Stewardshipexternal icon
• Improving Antibiotic Use pdf icon[PDF – 2 pages]
• Viruses or Bacteria—What’s Got You Sick? pdf icon[PDF – 1 page]
• Antibiotics Aren’t Always the Answer pdf icon[PDF – 2 pages]

More Resources to Fulfill All Core Elements

• A Field Guide to Antibiotic Stewardship in Outpatient Settings pdf icon[PDF – 30 pages]external icon
• A guide from the Quality Improvement Organizations (QIO) program for outpatient clinical care delivery facilities including
  • physician offices
  • outpatient pharmacies and clinics
  • emergency departments
  • urgent care clinics
  • Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs)

• MITIGATE Antimicrobial Stewardship Toolkit pdf icon[PDF – 47 pages]external icon
• An antibiotic stewardship guide developed by the MITIGATE study team and available at the Quality Improvement Organizations (QIO Program) for
  • adult and pediatric emergency departments
  • urgent care settings