FACTORS IN THE DEVELOPMENT AND MAINTENANCE OF A RATIONAL ANTIBIOTIC FORMULARY PART 1

This month, in part one of this exclusive interview with Dr. Cunha, ch ief of the infectious disease division, Winthrop-University Hospital, Mineola, NY, the philosophical approach taken toward developing and ma intaining an antimicrobial formulary at his institution and the specif ic criteria he uses to assess antimicrobial agents for potential formu lary inclusion are presented. Also discussed are Dr. Cunha's thoughts on ways to control antibiotic resistance and commonly held myths about antimicrobial agents. Next month, in the final segment of this interv iew, Dr. Cunha addresses how pharmacoeconomics fits into the formulary decision-making process, successful physician educational strategies, and recommendations for P & T Committees regarding ways to save money and improve the management of the antibiotic formulary.