Clinical and Economic Impact of Antimicrobial Resistance: Role of Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs in Indian Hospitals

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a threat to public health globally and is expected to worsen if not addressed. AMR has far-reaching consequences, impacting patients, public health, health-care systems, and society. It not only leads to increased morbidity and mortality but also poses significant challenges to the health-care industry, resulting in treatment failures and escalating costs associated with intensive interventions. Hospitals are also affected by AMR through prolonged hospital stays with increased costs of health care. It significantly impacts the success of cancer chemotherapy and organ transplantation and often compromises major surgeries. In this review, we have highlighted the clinical and economic consequences of AMR and the importance of antimicrobial stewardship programs (AMS programs) to combat resistance and protect patient health. As part of an organizational or system-wide health-care strategy, the AMS programs promote, evaluate, improve, and monitor the rational use of antimicrobials to safeguard their future effectiveness while promoting and protecting public health. We have also discussed the role of AMS programs in mitigating the clinical and economic impacts of AMR in Indian hospitals and provided some key suggestions for implementing AMS programs in this setting.