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The nurses’ role in antimicrobial stewardship : A scoping review
van Huizen, Pheona Kuhn, Lisa Russo, Philip L. Connell, Clifford J.
van Huizen, Pheona
Kuhn, Lisa
Russo, Philip L.
Connell, Clifford J.
Abstract
Background
The role of nurses in antimicrobial stewardship is understated and not well understood. Nurses can have a significant impact on the development of antimicrobial resistant bacteria in hospitals and the wider community through their management of intravenous antibiotics.
Objective
To investigate the nurse's role in antimicrobial stewardship and examine best practice for preparing, administering and disposing of intravenous antibiotics.
Methods
A systematically conducted scoping review was used. Seven databases were searched for published articles. Retrieved articles were screened for eligibility against pre-set inclusion and exclusion criteria with eligible full-text articles included in the synthesis. Reference lists of eligible articles and social media were reviewed to identify further sources of literature.
Results
Forty-three sources of evidence were included. The extracted data indicate that a part of the nurse's role in antimicrobial stewardship is to monitor judicious antibiotic prescribing practices. Other than literature related to medication errors, there was limited research describing best practice when preparing, administering and disposing of intravenous antibiotics. There was also little evidence of consistent policy, guidelines and education for nurses’ practice related to antimicrobial stewardship.
Conclusions
The evidence for best practice when nurses prepare, administer and dispose of intravenous antibiotics in hospitals is scarce. When nurses use best practice to manage intravenous antibiotics, the risk of antimicrobial resistant bacteria developing is minimised. The role of nurses in antimicrobial stewardship needs to be supported through education and evidence-based guidelines.
Tweetable abstract: Nurse work practices may prevent the development and spread of antimicrobial resistant bacteria
Keywords
anti-bacterial agents, antimicrobial drug resistance, antimicrobial stewardship, hospitals, nurses
Date
2021
Type
Journal article
Journal
International Journal of Nursing Studies
Book
Volume
113
Issue
Page Range
1-18
Article Number
Article 103772
ACU Department
School of Nursing, Midwifery and Paramedicine
Faculty of Health Sciences
Faculty of Health Sciences
Relation URI
Source URL
Event URL
Open Access Status
License
All rights reserved
File Access
Controlled