What is a common barrier to effective antimicrobial stewardship?

A common barrier to effective antimicrobial stewardship is excessive patient requests for antibiotics. This phenomenon often occurs when patients expect antibiotics for various conditions, particularly viral infections where antibiotics would be ineffective. Such expectations can influence prescribers to conform to patients' demands rather than adhering to guidelines that promote judicious use of antibiotics.

When physicians encounter patient pressure for antibiotics, they may feel obliged to prescribe them, even when they recognize that it is not clinically warranted. This not only undermines the principles of antimicrobial stewardship but also contributes to the rising issue of antibiotic resistance. Overprescribing antibiotics allows resistant strains of bacteria to proliferate, which ultimately jeopardizes the effectiveness of these vital medications.

Other factors like access to diagnostic testing, the costs associated with developing new antibiotics, and the length of hospital stays due to infections are important in understanding the broader context of antimicrobial stewardship but do not directly relate to patient behavior influencing adherence to stewardship practices.