Role of Clinical Pharmacists in Infectious Disease Ward

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Irrational use of antimicrobial agents has led to the emergence of antimicrobial resistance. The Infectious Diseases Society of America and The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that a clinical pharmacist with infectious diseases training should participate in the antimicrobial stewardship teams. Several authors stated that antimicrobial stewardship effectively reduces inappropriate antimicrobial use, cost, and hospital stays. Prospective audits and feedback can reduce the inappropriate use of antimicrobials. Clinical pharmacists may help orient the healthcare team on selecting appropriate antimicrobial agents, administration routes, dosing, treatment discontinuation, monitoring for toxicities, and therapeutical drug monitoring. Clinical pharmacists are important members of antimicrobial stewardship in the inpatient and outpatient settings. Antimicrobial stewardship pharmacists should have a role that includes designing and implementing antimicrobial stewardship interventions, measuring outcomes and relevant data, and management strategies. The participation of pharmacists in antimicrobial stewardship programs may increase compliance with guideline recommendations of antimicrobial therapies and improve adherence and response to treatment. Clinical pharmacist recommendations can also help prevent medication errors, such as missing or incorrect medications, inappropriate dosing, drug-drug interactions, or inadequate renal and hepatic function adjustment. This book chapter highlights the roles of an infectious disease-trained clinical pharmacist in the infectious diseases ward.