Figure 3.

Estimated theoretical cost savings on restricted injectable antimicrobials following the implementation of the antimicrobial stewardship program. Theoretical cost savings for a given year are estimated as the difference between the standardized costs for the year and the standardized costs for baseline (2015) adjusted for the number of patient days of the respective year (2016, 2017,…). This estimate is based on the assumption that, in absence of ASP, the antimicrobial consumption per patient day is consistent, which would result in invariable cost per patient day by using the mean prices for each agent.