What type of surveillance is used to understand resistance patterns in ASPs?

The correct answer is the use of passive surveillance of susceptibility patterns in understanding resistance patterns in Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs (ASPs). This approach involves the systematic collection of existing data regarding microbial susceptibility to antibiotics from various sources, including clinical laboratories, health care facilities, and public health systems.

Passive surveillance provides a comprehensive overview of resistance patterns across populations, allowing healthcare professionals to identify trends and emerging resistance in a less resource-intensive manner compared to active surveillance. It leverages data that has already been collected during routine clinical care, making it a valuable tool for tracking and analyzing antimicrobial resistance over time. By utilizing passive surveillance, ASPs can effectively monitor resistance patterns, assess the impact of interventions, and guide appropriate antimicrobial use within healthcare systems.

Other forms of surveillance, like active surveillance of clinical trials, focus on newly collected data from specific interventions or populations, which may not reflect broader resistance trends. Randomized surveys of patients do not systematically capture the necessary microbiological data to understand resistance and effectiveness in clinical practice. Systematic reviews of literature provide synthesis of research findings but do not establish ongoing resistance patterns or trends in real-world settings. Therefore, passive surveillance is optimal for monitoring resistance for the purposes of ASPs.