National Safety and Quality Health Service Standard 3.14.3 specifies that Monitoring of antimicrobial usage and resistance is undertaken in eligible health services.
One of the recommendations made by the Commission as part of implementing an AMS program is to develop a national standard for antimicrobial susceptibility testing. This, along with cumulative analysis and reporting of antibiograms, are managed and produced by clinical microbiology services[1].
Antimicrobial susceptibility tables, known as antibiograms, are used by clinicians to inform empirical antimicrobial choice. These should be available to clinicians and groups who are responsible for local antimicrobial therapy guidelines to inform local empirical therapy recommendations and formulary management.
In 2012/13, the Commission will develop a standard, hospital-level cumulative antibiogram for local surveillance of antimicrobial resistance. Standardisation of both the clinical and technical elements of cumulative antibiograms will optimise prescribing and support antimicrobial stewardship (AMS). In addition, a standard cumulative antibiogram will enable national surveillance, mapping and monitoring of AMR, subject to development of data governance arrangements and a reporting infrastructure.
Achieving a national standard for hospital-level antibiograms is a prerequisite for achieving detailed, accurate, efficient national AMR surveillance. Well designed and timely AMR surveillance is essential to effective national antimicrobial stewardship.
In December 2012 the National Standard Hospital-Level Cumulative Antibiogram Expert Roundtable (insert hyperlink) was convened by the Commission.
[1] Duguid M and Cruickshank M (eds) (2010). Antimicrobial stewardship in Australian hospitals, Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, Chapter 7 P80 – 91.