Skills, Not Just Knowledge: Infectious Diseases Fellows’ Recommendations Regarding Antimicrobial Stewardship Training

Abstract

Abstract Background Antimicrobial stewardship (AS) is an important topic in infectious diseases (ID) training, yet many ID fellowships lack formal training, and little is known about fellows’ learning preferences. Methods We conducted 24 in-depth interviews with ID fellows across the United States during 2018 and 2019 to explore their experiences with and preferences for AS education during fellowship. Interviews were transcribed, deidentified, and analyzed to identify themes. Results Fellows had variable exposure to AS before and during fellowship, which impacted their knowledge about and attitude toward stewardship as a career; however, all fellows expressed the importance of learning general stewardship principles during fellowship. Some fellows’ training included mandatory stewardship lectures and/or rotations, but most fellows felt their primary stewardship learning occurred through informal experiences in the clinical setting, such as holding the antimicrobial approval pager. Fellows expressed a preference for a standardized, structured curriculum that included in-person practical, interactive discussions with multidisciplinary faculty along with the opportunity to practice and apply their skills; however, they emphasized that time needed to be set aside for those educational activities. Although they wanted to learn the evidence and rationale for stewardship recommendations, they especially wanted training in and feedback on how to communicate stewardship recommendations to other health professionals, particularly in the setting of conflict. Conclusions ID fellows believe that standardized AS curricula should be included in their fellowship training, and they prefer structured, practical, and interactive learning experiences.