Designing antimicrobial stewardship initiatives to enhance scientific dissemination

Antimicrobial overuse and resistance pose an immediate threat to human health. Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) refers to efforts designed to improve antimicrobial use and optimize associated outcomes across health care settings. Pharmacists are integral leaders of AMS teams and are increasingly engaged in AMS research. However, AMS scholarship often lacks scientific rigor and subsequently, representative evidence in AMS guidelines is low quality. Because pharmacists are often on the front lines of AMS in health care systems, they must be cognizant of robust AMS study design to increase both quality and generalizability of their AMS interventions and observations. Sustainability of AMS interventions is equally important. This paper provides a primer for pharmacists engaged in AMS on fundamental AMS scholarship concepts including defining the study objective, study design, study methodology, data analysis, and promoting sustainability of the intervention. Recommendations are made for pharmacists across the spectrum of AMS, from new to well‐established programs. Additional AMS training and AMS scholarship is needed to support both the profession and pharmacists engaged in AMS. A concerted effort by pharmacists to enhance the quality of AMS research may improve AMS scholarship impact and further enhance outcomes throughout the continuum of care.