The mission of the ASP (Antimicrobial Stewardship Program) is to optimize the use of antimicrobials for inpatients admitted to UConn John Dempsey Hospital.

The ASP is a multidisciplinary team that is comprised of a complementary group of health care personnel that includes: pharmacists, physicians, clinical microbiologists, nurses, and infection prevention specialists.

In its current form, the ASP takes a multifaceted approach to optimizing antimicrobial use that will include such activities as:

• Systematic and continuous evaluation of the UConn John Dempsey Hospital antimicrobial formulary.
• Development and implementation of formal prior-authorization programs for “restricted” antimicrobials.
• Development, review, and modification of guideline-based physician-order-entry antimicrobial order sets.
• Improvement of microbiology reports provided to clinicians.
• Development of a formal, protocol-based, pharmacist-driven pharmacokinetic dosing program for antibiotics such as:
  • Vancomycin
  • Aminoglycosides
  • Antibiotics requiring dosage adjustments for renal/liver dysfunction
• Development of “targeted antimicrobial use optimization” programs

Physician Lead: David B. Banach, MD, MPH

Pharmacist Lead: Gillian Kuszewski