Antibiotic use in hospitalized children is highly variable and often unnecessary, which puts children at risk of antibiotic-associated harms including adverse drug events, antibiotic resistance, and long-term chronic health problems. Antimicrobial stewardship programs reduce unnecessary antibiotic use through antimicrobial review, the development of guidelines and clinical decision-support tools, diagnostic stewardship, and other targeted interventions. Future directions for inpatient stewardship include increased collaboration with nurses, utilization of implementation science to close the gap between evidence-based recommendations and practice changes, and the extension of stewardship from large academic centers to smaller hospitals.
Keywords: Antibiotic stewardship; Guidelines; Handshake stewardship; Implementation science; Pediatrics.
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