2025/10/08 by Rajalakshmi R, Thunga, Girish
#Medicine and Health Sciences
paper · doi:10.17605/osf.io/5b28h
The increasing global threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has emphasized the importance of Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs (ASPs), which aim to optimize antimicrobial use, improve patient outcomes, and reduce resistance. However, implementing stewardship initiatives consistently across healthcare settings remains challenging due to variations in clinical practices, limited resources, and lack of real-time decision support. Digital technologies have emerged as powerful enablers for the design, implementation, and monitoring of AMS interventions. Tools such as electronic health records (EHRs), clinical decision support systems (CDSS), computerized provider order entry (CPOE), mobile applications, tele-stewardship platforms, and e-learning modules allow healthcare professionals to make data-driven prescribing decisions and ensure timely feedback. These digital solutions enhance surveillance of antimicrobial use, facilitate communication between stewardship teams, and promote adherence to prescribing guidelines. In recent years, multiple systematic reviews have evaluated different digital approaches for AMS, yet their findings vary in scope, quality, and outcomes. Some focus on hospital-based CDSS, while others assess telehealth or mobile interventions in outpatient care. To obtain a comprehensive understanding of how digital technologies contribute to effective antimicrobial stewardship and to identify evidence gaps, an overview of systematic reviews (umbrella review) is warranted. This overview will synthesize and critically appraise existing systematic reviews, providing a consolidated evidence base on the effectiveness, implementation, and challenges of digital technologies in AMS. The findings will inform healthcare policy, guide future research, and support the integration of digital innovations into stewardship programs globally.