Our Mission: Our mission is to ensure that every patient gets optimal antibiotic therapy during their hospital stay.  The Antimicrobial Stewardship Program is actively working towards making this a reality for every patient, every day, in every setting at Southcoast Health. 

Who we are:  A designated group of individuals charged with the role to optimize antimicrobial therapy for all patients.  The team includes the Executive Sponsor of the ASP Program, the Executive Director of Pharmacy, ASP Infectious Disease Physicians, and ASP Infectious Disease Pharmacists with additional support from Infection Prevention, Microbiology, Hospitalists and Pharmacy team members.  This team has the support of Southcoast Leadership and is available to all providers throughout the system for Antimicrobial Stewardship needs.

What does Antimicrobial Stewardship at Southcoast Health mean for you?

Using the Right Tools: It’s important to understand what is the cause of your illness and treat it appropriately. 

Virus or Bacteria?

What’s the cause of your illness?  Often times, viruses are the cause of many illnesses such as the common cold.  If your provider believes a virus is the cause, an antibiotic will not help you recover.  Supportive care with fluid intake, cough drops, and over the counter products as directed by your health care provider may be the best therapy

Allergy or Side Effect

Your antibiotic allergies play a big role in how health care providers are able to select your treatment options when it is needed.  True allergies can range from hives, throat closing, body rash, to anaphylaxis.  Please be clear as to the nature of your allergy and when it happened so your health care team has the most accurate information to make the best choice.  Side effects that are not allergies may include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, itching, headache, etc.  These are common side effects that are not considered allergies.

Antibiotic Risks and Complications

Antibiotics should be prescribed only when needed for bacterial infections, and only be taken for the condition for which it was prescribed.  Use of antibiotics may lead to complications including Clostridioides difficile infection (infectious diarrhea) and the developing drug resistant bacteria.  Your provider will choose the shortest duration needed to take care of your infection, longer duration is not necessarily better.

Antimicrobial Stewardship & Southcoast Health

Southcoast Health is the recipient of the Infectious Disease Society of America Center of Excellence award for Charlton Memorial at Antimicrobial Stewardship.  We are committed to excellence in optimizing your care.  Our program is based upon the Center for Disease Control’s Core Elements of Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs.  These include having hospital Leadership Commitment, Accountability, Pharmacy Expertise, Action, Tracking, Reporting and Educational components for all hospitals. 

Meet the Team: