Optimizing Antibiotic Stewardship in California NICUs The Optimizing Antibiotic Stewardship in California NICUs (OASCN) Collaborative was active from March 2021 – February 2023.

https://www.cpqcc.org/improvement/projects/OASCN Clinicians reported an increased understanding of the importance of antibiotic stewardship and more openness to change their prescribing habits after participating in an AHRQ-sponsored collaborative to improve antibiotic stewardship among neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). A study published in the Journal of Perinatology described how researchers interviewed participants in the Optimizing Antibiotic Stewardship in California NICUs Collaborative, which met regularly from 2021 to 2022, and disseminated nationally recommended antimicrobial interventions among 30 California NICUs by combining quality improvement techniques and the Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) telehealth learning model. Clinicians reported statistically significant increases in antimicrobial stewardship importance (71 percent vs. 79 percent), perceived antibiotic steward activity (67 percent vs. 87 percent) and more openness to change (59 percent vs. 70 percent) after participating in the collaborative.