Introduction

The term diagnostic stewardship refers to improving the process of ordering, performing, reporting, and interpreting diagnostic tests to improve the treatment of infections for the purpose of preserving antimicrobials. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the diagnostic stewardship concept refers to Global Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance. The Global Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System (GLASS), was developed by the WHO to facilitate and support the implementation of the Global Action Plan on antimicrobial resistance. The GLASS manual defines Diagnostic Stewardship as “coordinated guidance and interventions to improve appropriate use of microbiological diagnostics to guide therapeutic decisions. It should promote appropriate, timely diagnostic testing, including specimen collection, and pathogen identification, and accurate, timely reporting of results to guide patient treatment.”

Microbiological diagnostic stewardship’s two main objectives are to deliver patient management guided by timely microbiological data to deliver safer more effective and efficient patient care; and accurate and representative AMR surveillance data to inform treatment guidelines and AMR control strategies.

Microbiological tests and diagnostic tools should be collectively used to avoid possible negative effects on the management and outcomes of individual patients. The underutilization and incorrect use of microbiological tests and diagnostic tools can also result in a lack of representative surveillance data for empiric treatment recommendations and AMR control strategies.

Tutorial video: Diagnostics & Antimicrobial Stewardship: Our Commitment to Public Health (4 minutes and 40 seconds)