Abstract

Background: Antimicrobial stewardship programs involve a multidisciplinary team which have shown to result in favorable patient outcomes, decreased healthcare costs, and reduction in Antimicrobial Resistance (AR). Nurses have been shown to be a vital part of Antimicrobial Stewardship (AS); however, their specific role and involvement in AS should require further investigation and delineation.
Methods: In February 2018, a voluntary online survey was disseminated to all Registered Nurses (RNs) at Loyola University Medical Center to assess their knowledge and perception of AS and AR, as well as to evaluate their AS-related activities. The results of the survey lead to an implementation of a multi-faceted program focused on education. In March 2019, a second survey was disseminated to all RNs investigating any changes in the knowledge and perception of AS and AR post implementation of our educational efforts, as well as to obtain feedback on how to further engage RNs in AS.
Results: 179 and 117 RNs completed the first and second surveys respectively. A significant percentage of the RNs in both surveys agreed that they play critical roles in AS, and that AS can lead to reduction in AR and complications of antimicrobials. However, more than half of the RNs report that they are not familiar with AS practices at our facility.
Conclusion: Local surveys on RNs knowledge, perception and practices on AS and AR can be utilized to improve stewardship efforts. Our team implemented strategies focused on education using pre-intervention and post-intervention surveys.

Keywords:Antimicrobial stewardship; Antimicrobial resistance; Nursing education; Surveys