Northwestern Medicine
Antimicrobial and Diagnostic Stewardship Program

Antimicrobial and Diagnostic Stewardship Program

Northwestern Medicine is committed to improving antibiotic use to ensure that antibiotics remain effective treatment options.

Our mission is to advocate for optimal antimicrobial use and diagnostic testing for every patient to improve clinical outcomes, prevent drug resistance, enhance quality and safety, and advance research.​
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Our vision is to achieve a widespread culture of antimicrobial stewardship across our health system and communities where antimicrobials are protected for future generations.

Our goals for 2024 are to advance stewardship efforts to optimize outcomes and antibiotic use to provide a consistent level of care across all of Northwestern Medicine.
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This website is primarily intended to be used as a resource for NM clinicians. Guidance is designed to improve and standardize the quality of patient care, but it should not be used without clinical judgement.

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Why Our Work Matters

The Northwestern Medicine Antimicrobial Stewardship Team works continuously to support our clinicians in their decision to prescribe antibiotic orders. Please reach out to your hospital's antibiotic stewardship team for resources and clinical decision support. 
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  • CDC reports over 2 million illnesses and 23,000 deaths annually from infections that are resistant to antibiotics
  • Antibiotic resistance adds $20 billion in excess direct health care costs and $35 billion societal costs for lost productivity
  • The use of antibiotics is the single most important factor leading to resistance
  • Nearly 50 percent of all antibiotics ordered in hospitals are not needed or inappropriately  prescribed
  • At least 30 percent of antibiotics in U.S. outpatient settings are prescribed unnecessarily
  • Fighting antibiotic resistance is a public health and national security priority
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