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The increasing prevalence of antimicrobial-resistant microorganisms and the rising costs of medical care have led many institutions to consider developing active antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs). Given the up-front personnel expenses required to initiate such programs, return on investment remains a concern.
An ASP was in place at the University of Maryland Medical Center for 7 years. It was centered on an antimicrobial monitoring team that included an infectious diseases–trained clinical pharmacist and a part-time infectious diseases physician. Investigators recently analyzed the effects of this program on antimicrobial utilization costs.
Between the year before ASP implementation (fiscal year [FY] 2001) and the final year of the pr…