At a glance
- Outpatient antibiotic stewardship activities promote the appropriate use of antibiotics to improve patient care and combat the threat of antimicrobial resistance.
- The Core Elements of Outpatient Antibiotic Stewardship provides a framework for antibiotic stewardship for outpatient clinicians and facilities that routinely provide antibiotic treatment.
- Stewardship assessment tools are available for outpatient settings and can be used to identify and monitor outpatient stewardship policies and practices.
Overview
In 2016, CDC published The Core Elements of Outpatient Antibiotic Stewardship to improve antibiotic prescribing practices across outpatient settings. It outlines a structure for implementing strategies to modify prescribing practices and align them with evidence-based recommendations for the diagnosis and management of infections.
Core Elements documents
![[thumbnail] (hidden)](https://www.cdc.gov/antibiotic-use/media/images/Core-Elements-Outpatient-thumb.jpg)
![[thumbnail] (hidden)](https://www.cdc.gov/antibiotic-use/media/images/Core-Elements-Outpatient-appendix-thumb.jpg)
![[thumbnail] (hidden)](https://www.cdc.gov/antibiotic-use/media/images/Core-Elements-Outpatient-Forms-checklists-508.jpg)
Implementation resources
Below are additional CDC and external resources that can support Core Elements implementation in outpatient settings.
Leadership commitment
Demonstrate dedication to and accountability for optimizing antibiotic prescribing and patient safety.
Action
Implement at least one policy or practice to improve antibiotic prescribing, assess whether it is working, and modify as needed.
- Improving Outpatient Antibiotic Prescribing: A Toolkit for Healthcare Payers
- MITIGATE Antimicrobial Stewardship Toolkit
- Clinical Care of Outpatient Adult and Pediatric Populations
- Watchful Waiting for Ear Infections
- Delayed Prescribing Prescription Pads
- Symptom Relief Prescription Pads
- Antibiotic Stewardship for Oral Health | ADS - Association for Dental Safety
Tracking and reporting
Monitor antibiotic prescribing practices and offer regular feedback to clinicians, or have clinicians assess their own antibiotic prescribing practices.
Health departments
- Guide to Using Outpatient Antibiotic Prescription Data for Peer Comparison Audit & Feedback
- Antimicrobial Resistance & Patient Safety Portal: Antibiotic Use & Stewardship Data
- Example letter: Providing feedback to providers about number of antibiotics prescribed
Health plans
- Fact Sheet: Improving outpatient antibiotic use through audit and feedback
- Measurement and Evaluation Approaches to Improve Outpatient Antibiotic Prescribing
Health systems
- Measurement and Evaluation Approaches to Improve Outpatient Antibiotic Prescribing in Health Systems
Education and expertise
Provide educational resources to clinicians and patients on antibiotic prescribing and ensure access to needed expertise on optimizing antibiotic prescribing.