An Infectious Diseases Physician-Led Antimicrobial Stewardship Program at a Small Community Hospital Associated With Improved Susceptibility Patterns and Cost-Savings After the First Year.

The importance of antimicrobial stewardship is increasingly recognized, yet data from community hospitals are limited. Despite an initially low acceptance rate, an Infectious Diseases physician-led program at a 70-bed rural hospital was associated with a 42% decrease in anti-infective expenditures and susceptibility improvement in Pseudomonas aeruginosa over 3 years.