Antimicrobial stewardship project at NCN Health
Antimicrobial stewardship programs aim to influence clinician behaviour to prescribe antimicrobials appropriately and responsibly and are one of the key strategies to tackle the current worldwide microbial resistance crisis. Rural Health Academic Network Coordinators Kaye Ervin and Carol Reid have teamed up with Ka Chun Tse, Director Medical Services NCN Health, and Elizabeth Smith, Infection Control Coordinator at NCN Health, on a research project that explored what helped prescribers to adopt optimal prescribing practices in antimicrobial use.
Coordinator), Ka Chun Tse (Medical Director NCN Health )
As a result of the project NCN Health introduced posters in aged care and acute settings to prompt documentation of the rationale for antimicrobial use and provided a reference for recommended antimicrobials for common conditions and the criteria for the definition of an infection. The research enabled identification of an intervention that is acceptable to medical practitioners and nursing staff at NCN Health.
The effectiveness of the intervention will be measured by auditing antimicrobial use at three time points; January to June 2020 (pre-intervention), July to December 2020 (during the intervention) and January to June 2021 (post-intervention).
A full description of the first phase of the study is available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.idh.2020.08.003 and also presented at www.ncas-australia.org/AAW2020. A further presentation is planned for December and will be available at www.acipcconference.com.au.