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The life cycle of infection prevention and antimicrobial stewardship projects and interventions: the dynamic interplay of implementation and de-implementation science (Part I of II)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 September 2025

Westyn Branch-Elliman Open the ORCID record for Westyn Branch-Elliman [Opens in a new window] ,
David A. Chambers ,
Owen Albin Open the ORCID record for Owen Albin [Opens in a new window] ,
Lynne Batshon ,
Sandra Castejon-Ramirez Open the ORCID record for Sandra Castejon-Ramirez [Opens in a new window] ,
Vincent Chi-Chung Cheng Open the ORCID record for Vincent Chi-Chung Cheng [Opens in a new window] ,
Nkechi Emetuche ,
Rupak Datta ,
Mini Kamboj  and
Sarah L. Krein Open the ORCID record for Sarah L. Krein [Opens in a new window]
...Show all authors
Westyn Branch-Elliman*
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, Greater Los Angeles VA Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, USA Center for Healthcare Innovation, Implementation, and Policy, Greater Los Angeles VA Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, USA Department of Medicine, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA
David A. Chambers
Affiliation:
Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD, USA
Owen Albin
Affiliation:
Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Lynne Batshon
Affiliation:
Director of Policy and Practice, Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, Arlington, VA, USA
Sandra Castejon-Ramirez
Affiliation:
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, USA
Vincent Chi-Chung Cheng
Affiliation:
Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
Nkechi Emetuche
Affiliation:
Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, Arlington, VA, USA
Rupak Datta
Affiliation:
Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System and Section of Infectious Diseases, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
Mini Kamboj
Affiliation:
Infectious Disease Service Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Professor of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA
Sarah L. Krein
Affiliation:
VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System and University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Milner Staub
Affiliation:
Division of Infectious Diseases, Director Adult Outpatient Antimicrobial Stewardship, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Director, Antimicrobial Stewardship, VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, Nashville, TN, USA
Samira Reyes Dassum
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, Roger Williams Medical Center, Providence, RI, USA
Barry Rittmann
Affiliation:
Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Virginia Commonwealth University Health Systems, Richmond, VA, USA
Felicia Scaggs Huang
Affiliation:
Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
Pranavi Sreeramoju
Affiliation:
Independent Scholar, USA
Stephanie Stroever
Affiliation:
Department of Medical Education and Division of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, USA
Geehan Suleyman
Affiliation:
Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Henry Ford Health, Detroit, MI, USA Infection Prevention and Control and Antimicrobial Stewardship, Henry Ford Health, Detroit, MI, USA School of Medicine, Michigan State University, Lansing, MI, USA School of Medicine, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
Joseph Y. Ting
Affiliation:
Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
Lucy S. Witt
Affiliation:
Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
Matthew J. Ziegler
Affiliation:
Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Jennie H. Kwon
Affiliation:
School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA
*
Corresponding author: Westyn Branch-Elliman; Email: wbranchelliman@mednet.ucla.edu
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Abstract

In Antimicrobial Stewardship and Infection Prevention and Control, programmatic goals often strive to achieve clinical benefit by practice change in the direction of doing less. Practically, this may include reducing the number of tests ordered, encouraging shorter and more narrow courses of antimicrobials, or discontinuing practices that are no longer contextually appropriate. Because promoting practice change in the direction of doing less is a critical aspect of day-to-day operations in Antimicrobial Stewardship and Infection Prevention and Control, the goals of this Society for Healthcare Epidemiology Research Committee White Paper are to provide a roadmap and framework for leveraging principles of implementation and de-implementation science in day-to-day practice. Part II of this series focuses on some practical case studies, including real-world examples of applied de-implementation science to promote discontinuation of practices that are ineffective, overused, or no longer effective.

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Type
SHEA White Paper
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , First View , pp. 1 - 12
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America

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