Nurses’ perceptions of their role in antimicrobial stewardship within the hospital environment. An integrative literature review

BACKGROUND: Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) has traditionally been the domain of doctors and pharmacists but there is a growing recognition that successful stewardship incorporates a multidisciplinary approach that includes nursing staff. This literature review explores nurses’ perceptions of their role in antimicrobial stewardship within the hospital environment and provides new insights to inform future practice. METHODOLOGY: An integrative literature review was undertaken. Five academic databases were searched, which identified six relevant studies. Whittemore and Knafl's method for conducting an integrative review was followed. ENTREQ guidelines have been adhered to. FINDINGS: Two themes were identified: nurses’ working in partnership with other professionals and engagement in education. DISCUSSION: Antimicrobial stewardship illustrates the role of the nurse within the wider multidisciplinary team regarding wider patient safety issues and the need for education to enhance this role. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Nurses have a clear role to play in antimicrobial stewardship but need to be fully cognisant of the issues involved. Further clarity on how nurses should enact this role in their complex working environments is required. It is essential that both student and qualified nurses are able to speak up in order to maximise patient safety, fulfil their professional duty and promote the overall effectiveness of AMS if they witness poor antibiotic management practices.