ABSTRACT Antibiotic resistance has become a major problem in public health. This resistance has been a growing issue due to years of inappropriate use of antibiotics. Hospitals are the most prevalent settings where bacterial infections occur related to antibiotic resistance. Some hospital infections cannot be treated because the bacteria are resistant to all currently available antibiotics. However, a program has evolved that helps to combat this. Antibiotic stewardship fights the inappropriate use of antibiotics. The Antibiotic stewardship program (ASP) uses two main interventions: Prospective audit with intervention and feedback, and Formulary restriction and preauthorization. These are two ways to monitor prescribing by health care providers which saves antibiotic availability. As antibiotic resistance is a public health issue, the core functions of the discipline are utilized: assessment, policy development, and assurance. Assessment analyzes the need for the program, and where they should be delivered; policy proposes, from the assessment, plans and processes; and assurance makes sure that what was proposed is what is delivered. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has developed a number of website programs that analyze the antibiotic resistance problem in this nation. Other CDC websites introduce and explain how an ASP can fight the development of antibiotic resistance. National policies are also being proposed for this issue. ASPs are needed in all hospitals. The problem of antibiotic resistance is not going away and actions must be taken. Public health is in a unique position to address this problem, and the core functions are a useful template for the ASP to follow.Master of Public Healt
