A strong, interconnected relationship between the surgeon, infectious disease physician and infectious disease pharmacist is essential for optimal antibiotic stewardship and management of challenges ranging from surgical site infections and ventilator-assisted pneumonia to severe Clostridioides difficile infections and necrotizing soft tissue infections, agreed experts from each of these specialties during a session at the 2022 annual meeting of the Surgical Infection Society.

“I envision this relationship as a trio,” said James Sanders, PhD, PharmD, the antimicrobial stewardship director and an assistant professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center, in Dallas. “At all the institutions I’ve worked at, the surgeons have been my allies to help enforce antimicrobial stewardship principles, and without them I don’t think the programs I’ve worked with would have been as successful. I really think there needs to be interplay between the surgeon, the ID pharmacist and the ID physician, not only to promote antimicrobial stewardship but in day-to-day patient care. We’re navigating the review of patients on antimicrobials throughout the hospital, and often ensure providers reach out to surgery or the ID providers.”