Antimicrobial Stewardship Program (ASP)

In the face of rising rates of multidrug resistance, there has been a growing recognition that antimicrobial effectiveness must be regarded as a limited resource. The Antimicrobial Stewardship Program (ASP) at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health is charged with ensuring that antimicrobials are used appropriately, in an effort to optimize clinical outcomes, while minimizing potentially harmful unintended consequences. Dr. Hayden Schwenk, ASP Medical Director, Lauren O’Brien, Associate Medical Director,  Luli Eguiguren ASP Physician, and Drs. Laura Bio and Lauren Puckett, ASP Pharmacists, are responsible for ensuring the judicious use of antibiotics, antifungals, and antivirals at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health and have developed a program centered on audit and feedback, formulary restriction, and prescriber education to achieve this aim. The ASP Program is also responsible for the review and approval of all orders, order sets, and clinical pathways that include antimicrobial agents. The program also works closely with the Stanford Medicine Children’s Health Center for Quality and Clinical Effectiveness on quality improvement work related to antimicrobial use. More information on the ASP program can be found at asp.stanfordchildrens.org.