Background: Antimicrobial stewardship (AS) and infection prevention and control (IPC) efforts within veterinary schools are largely siloed and limited in scope. Increased collaboration is needed to foster context-appropriate AS interventions and support AS and IPC committees, professional curriculum, and practitioner/client outreach.
Objectives: To identify current strengths and gaps in AS and IPC among US and Caribbean veterinary schools. Animals: N/A
Methods: Veterinary school representatives recruited via the Deans’ listserv, previous AS study participants, and direct contact, were invited to take an online survey about their institution’s current AS and IPC committee structure and activities.
Results: Of 24 participating schools, 12 (50.0%) have AS and 19 (79.2%) have IPC committees. Lack of staff time (21/24, 87.5%) and dedicated resources (17/24, 70.8%) were cited as major barriers for AS, and lack of staff time as a barrier for IPC (62.5%, 15/24); 62.5% (15/24) have no dedicated faculty or staff effort for AS or IPC programs. For those without AS committees, 7/12 (58.3%) expressed uncertainty about how to establish a committee. Most schools (22/24, 91.7%) include AS in their curriculum; 4/24 (16.7%) provide training for clinical faculty. Eleven (48.5%) schools reported performing at least one activity addressing all five AVMA’s AS Core Principles (Table 1); one school performed no activities. Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Human and financial resources are needed to further AS and IPC in veterinary schools. Collaboration among schools, including efforts to share resources and standardize practices, with support from national and international institutions, may enhance AS and IPC initiative feasibility.
