The role of the multidisciplinary team in antifungal stewardship
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Pagination
37 - 42
Publisher
DOI
10.1093/jac/dkw395
Journal
JOURNAL OF ANTIMICROBIAL CHEMOTHERAPY
ISSN
0305-7453
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
There are a variety of challenges faced in the management of invasive fungal diseases (IFD), including high casefatality rates, high cost of antifungal drugs and development of antifungal resistance. The diagnostic challenges
and poor outcomes associated with IFD have resulted in excessive empirical use of antifungals in various hospital
settings, exposing many patients without IFD to potential drug toxicities as well as causing spiralling antifungal
drug costs. Further complexity arises as different patient groups show marked variation in their risk for IFD, fungal
epidemiology, sensitivity and specificity of diagnostic tests and the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of
antifungal drugs. To address these issues and to ensure optimal management of IFD, specialist knowledge and
experience from a range of backgrounds is required, which extends beyond the remit of most antibiotic stewardship programmes. The first step in the development of any antifungal stewardship (AFS) programme is to build a
multidisciplinary team encompassing the necessary expertise in the management of IFD to develop and implement the AFS programme. The specific roles of the key individuals within the AFS team and the importance of
collaboration are discussed in this article.
Authors
Agrawal, S; Barnes, R; Bruggemann, RJ; Rautemaa-Richardson, R; Warris, ACollections
- Centre for Immunobiology [1121]