CIC Antimicrobial Stewardship 2

Question 1

Which metric is most commonly used to measure antibiotic consumption in antimicrobial stewardship programs?

Accepted Answer

Days of therapy (DOT) per 1,000 patient-days

Answer

Days of therapy (DOT) per 1,000 patient-days is the preferred standardized metric for tracking antibiotic consumption because it accounts for multiple agents and dose changes.

Question 2

A patient is started on broad-spectrum antibiotics empirically. What is the stewardship principle that involves narrowing therapy once culture results return?

Accepted Answer

De-escalation

Answer

De-escalation is the practice of switching from broad-spectrum to narrow-spectrum antibiotics once the causative organism and its susceptibilities are identified.

Question 3

Which intervention is an example of a 'front-end' stewardship strategy?

Accepted Answer

Formulary restriction with prior authorization

Answer

Formulary restriction with prior authorization is a front-end strategy that requires approval before an antibiotic is dispensed, preventing unnecessary prescriptions proactively.

Question 4

Procalcitonin (PCT) guidance in antimicrobial stewardship is primarily used to:

Accepted Answer

Guide antibiotic discontinuation in respiratory infections

Answer

PCT is a biomarker that rises with bacterial infections and falls as they resolve, making it useful for guiding safe discontinuation of antibiotics in respiratory tract infections.

Question 5

What is the primary goal of antimicrobial cycling (rotation) strategies?

Accepted Answer

Prevent the emergence and spread of resistance by rotating drug classes

Answer

Antimicrobial cycling rotates antibiotic classes in a scheduled manner to reduce selective pressure from any single agent and theoretically limit resistance development.

CIC - Certification in Infection Prevention and Control Practice Test

CIC - Certification in Infection Prevention and Control Practice Test

CIC Antimicrobial Stewardship 2