Table 1.

Considerations For and Against Antimicrobial Stewardship Program (ASP) Involvement in COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Preauthorization

For ASP Involvement	Against ASP Involvement
• ASPs already have preauthorization infrastructure in place • Transfusion medicine programs likely would need to create pre-authorization processes de novo and identify how to staff these • ASP personnel are experts at creating and applying algorithm-based preauthorization criteria • ASPs that are already responsible for local COVID-19 guidelines can help contextualize convalescent plasma use relative to other potential therapies • ASP personnel are experts at cooperative integration with non–infectious diseases or non–pharmacy-based service lines	• ASPs have no direct involvement with transfusion medicine programs or authority to restrict access to blood products • ASP personnel are not experts in transfusion medicine • ASP involvement will divert time away from other important stewardship activities, such as antibiotic use monitoring • ASPs are put in the difficult position of brokering convalescent plasma access against scientific community recommendations to use only in the context of randomized, clinical trials

For ASP Involvement

Against ASP Involvement

• ASPs already have preauthorization infrastructure in place
• Transfusion medicine programs likely would need to create pre-authorization processes de novo and identify how to staff these
• ASP personnel are experts at creating and applying algorithm-based preauthorization criteria
• ASPs that are already responsible for local COVID-19 guidelines can help contextualize convalescent plasma use relative to other potential therapies
• ASP personnel are experts at cooperative integration with non–infectious diseases or non–pharmacy-based service lines

• ASPs have no direct involvement with transfusion medicine programs or authority to restrict access to blood products
• ASP personnel are not experts in transfusion medicine
• ASP involvement will divert time away from other important stewardship activities, such as antibiotic use monitoring
• ASPs are put in the difficult position of brokering convalescent plasma access against scientific community recommendations to use only in the context of randomized, clinical trials