Preventing Antimicrobial Resistance in Clinical Settings: A Protocol for a PRISMA-ScR Scoping Review and Health Management Mapping

Abstract Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) represents one of the most critical public health security challenges of the 21st century, necessitating a decisive transition from isolated microbiological surveillance to integrated health systems operations and quality management.Objectives: This scoping review protocol outlines the methodology to map and synthesize the literature on preventing clinical AMR, applying the PRISMA-ScR framework to evaluate antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs), infection prevention and control (IPC) bundles, and operational quality tools across 12 verified peer-reviewed studies.Methods: Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines, 12 peer-reviewed studies—comprising 3 systematic reviews and 9 primary implementation evaluations—will be charted and synthesized around core operational themes and clinical debates.Conclusions: This protocol establishes a transparent, reproducible framework for examining how structured healthcare management and quality engineering tools mitigate clinical AMR.Keywords: Antimicrobial Resistance, Antimicrobial Stewardship, Infection Prevention and Control, PRISMA-ScR, Quality Improvement, Donabedian Framework, Research Protocol