Antimicrobial Stewardship Clinical Care Standard (2020) resources
You can download the Antimicrobial Stewardship Clinical Care Standard, clinician fact sheet, consumer guide, Accreditation Advisory and indicator monitoring tool in full from the following links:
2020
Publication, report or update
2020
Guide, user guide or guidelines
2020
Guide, user guide or guidelines
2021
Audit, monitoring or reporting tool
Consultation and endorsement
The standard has been endorsed by 25 key professional organisations and colleges including the Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia (SHPA), the Australian Society of Antimicrobials and the Therapeutic Guidelines Ltd.
Evaluation findings
Evaluation of the AMS Clinical Care Standard was undertaken as part of the 2020 review. The evaluation found that:
- 99% of respondent reported that the AMS Clinical Care Standard was relevant to their practice
- 73% of respondents reported changes at an organisational level as a result of implementing the AMS Clinical Care Standard
Find more results in the evaluation report.
2023
Publication, report or update
Background
Infections are caused by organisms called microbes, such as bacteria, viruses and fungi. Medicines used to treat infections are called antimicrobials, and destroy the specific microbes involved. However, when microbes develop ways to prevent the antimicrobial medicine from effectively killing or controlling their growth, that medicine is no longer effective for that infection. This is called antimicrobial resistance.1
Although antimicrobial resistance is a natural feature of microbial evolution, the inappropriate use of antimicrobials has increased the development of antimicrobial-resistant microbes in hospitals, other healthcare facilities and in the community.1,2,3
To help prevent the development of antimicrobial resistance, it is important that healthcare professionals prescribe and administer antimicrobials according to the principles of AMS.
Assessment to the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards
The 2014 AMS Clinical Care Standard resources have been superseded by the 2020 Antimicrobial Stewardship Clinical Care Standard. From 1 January 2022, health service organisations being assessed against the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards, specifically Action 3.18, will be assessed in relation to the 2020 version of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Clinical Care Standard.
The advisory AS21/02: Advice on implementing the 2020 Antimicrobial Stewardship Clinical Care Standard clarifies the requirements for the transition between the 2014 and the 2020 Antimicrobial Stewardship Clinical Care Standards.
References
- Department of Health. Australia's National Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy - and Beyond. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia; 2019
- World Health Organization. Global action plan on antimicrobial resistance. Geneva: WHO, 2015
- Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. Antimicrobial Stewardship in Australian Health Care 2018. Sydney: ACSQHC; 2018
- Singer M et al. The third international consensus definitions for sepsis and septic shock (Sepsis-3). JAMA 2016;315(8):801-810
Questions?
If you have any questions about the Antimicrobial Stewardship Clinical Care Standard please email ccs@safetyandquality.gov.au.