Antimicrobial Stewardship in Ireland (2010-2021): a scoping review protocol.

Background: Antimicrobial stewardship programmes (ASP) are essential in promoting responsible antimicrobial use, reducing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and health care-associated infections. In 2009 the Strategy for the Control of Antimicrobial Resistance in Ireland (SARI), Hospital Antimicrobial Stewardship Working Group published guidance on antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) in hospitals. This paper presents a protocol for a scoping review which aims to examine the current literature to evaluate progress related to the implementation of the SARI (2009) guidance on antimicrobial stewardship in hospitals in Ireland.

Methods: This scoping review will be conducted in line with the five-stage methodological framework by Arksey & O'Mally 2005. We will search the following databases (PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, Web of Science) and targeted websites for articles and reports for possible inclusion in our review. Studies pertaining to AMS undertaken or related to the Republic of Ireland from January 2010 until December 2021 will be included. We will include all study designs. We will map all selected publications to the recommendations of the SARI (2009) guidance document. The protocol follows the guidance of Peters et al., 2022. Two reviewers will independently screen studies and reports to assess eligibility with any discrepancies resolved by consensus discussion with a third reviewer.

Results: These will be reported in line with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR)and this checklist will be included when the scoping review is published.

Conclusion: This scoping review will map studies and reports to evaluate AMS in relation to national guidelines without restriction on study design or outcomes in the Republic of Ireland. This information has the potential to provide a valuable resource for the implementation of future AMS research and interventions.