How effective is an antimicrobial stewardship approach grounded in behavioral theory and focused on preserving prescriber autonomy and participation in improving the appropriateness of antimicrobial prescribing in hospitals? The current article intends to encourage discussions to find out if future antimicrobial stewardship efforts in hospitals should use behavioral theory to improve intervention effectiveness in various clinical settings. Appropriate antimicrobial prescribing has significant clinical benefits (ie, reduced mortality) and reduces the development of antimicrobial resistance and healthcare costs.
Antimicrobial stewardship programs aim to improve antimicrobial prescribing but sometimes fail to acknowledge that improving antimicrobial prescribing actually means changing human behavior. Human behavior is not based on a fully rational process but depends on a complex interplay…
