Antimicrobial Stewardship Program

Given time, bacteria will develop resistance to antibiotics. However, overuse and misuse of antibiotics is contributing to the speed and spread of antibiotic resistance. 

Our Antimicrobial Stewardship Program at Children's Hospital is dedicated to working with patients, parents, healthcare providers and researchers to counter what many experts say is the world's most pressing public health problem. Working together, we can:

• improve patient outcomes
• reduce antimicrobial resistance
• reduce healthcare costs

The program uses and evidence-based approaches to optimize antimicrobial prescribing, including:

• monitoring of antimicrobial use and resistance
• formulary restriction of targeted antimicrobials
• creation and implementation of order sets and clinical pathways
• feedback and recommendations to pharmacists and clinicians
• patient and provider education

Our program works collaboratively with the adult antimicrobial stewardship program at Vanderbilt and the clinical microbiology laboratory.

Learn more about antimicrobial resistance

• CDC: Antibiotic / Antimicrobial Resistance
• When to use antibiotics for your child

Vanderbilt Antimicrobial Stewardship Program (VASP) program seeks to optimize appropriate use of antibiotics

Relying on a core team of physicians and pharmacists, the Vanderbilt Antimicrobial Stewardship Program (VASP) is seeking to ensure optimum use of antibiotics and other antimicrobial drugs at Vanderbilt University Medical Center