Use of information technologies in an antimicrobial stewardship program by non-commercial local development: from digital prescription and supervision to dashboards

Abstract

Background. Hospital Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs (ASPs) are dedicated to mitigate antimicrobial resistance but generate a large volume of information that is difficult to process. During 2024-2025, in a regional public hospital we developed digital platforms for the ASP.

Aim: To communicate this experience.

Methods. Local development of online questionnaires for restricted and under-surveillance compounds in 2024, creating a special section on the Hospital's digital platform. No commercially purchased or licensed software was used. In the second stage (2025), dashboards were created for different indicators.

Results. By the end of 2025, the questionnaires for initiating antimicrobials, self-assessment, supervisory visit, and interventions were fully operational. Immediate notification to the Pharmacy after supervisory visits and the list of patients to be visited each day were also operational. Dashboards include initial surveys, self-assessments, interventions and their type, percentage of supervised prescriptions, infectious disease diagnoses, compounds involved, therapeutic or prophylactic use, expenses, consumption in defined daily doses (DDDs), and days of therapy (DOT) per occupied beds. This information can be displayed according to different filters. Dashboards have already been used in ASP internal clinical feedback meetings.

Conclusions. In a public hospital, a non-commercial digital ASP has been developed without incurring in costly software.