October 19, 2023
One Health Trust’s Geetanjali Kapoor was part of an international, multidisciplinary task force, established by the Global Alliance for Infections in Surgery, that published a position statement called WARNING, or the Worldwide Antimicrobial Resistance National/International Network Group, which outlines ten recommendations or “golden rules” to optimize inpatient antibiotic prescribing, increase awareness of antimicrobial stewardship, and promote best practices to reduce antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in healthcare settings. The ten golden rules are as follows:
- Enhancing infection prevention and control
- Prescribing antibiotics when they are truly needed
- Prescribing the appropriate antibiotic(s) at the right time
- Administering antibiotics in adequate doses and routes
- Initiating, as soon as possible, targeted treatment based on the results of culture and susceptibility testing
- Using the shortest duration of antibiotics based on evidence
- Achieving source control by identifying and eliminating the source of the infection or reducing the bacterial load
- Supporting surveillance of HAIs and AMR, monitoring of antibiotic use, consumption, and the quality of prescribing
- Educating staff and improving awareness
- Supporting multidisciplinary antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) and enhancing collaboration of healthcare professionals from various disciplines
Healthcare professionals play a crucial role in mitigating the burden of AMR worldwide. By following the guidelines provided in this statement, they can reduce the frequency of inappropriate antibiotic prescribing, improve healthcare workers’ hygiene and handwashing practices, and promote antimicrobial stewardship. In the context of surgical procedures, infection prevention and control (IPC) measures are especially important in preventing healthcare-associated infections and associated poor health outcomes, such as sepsis, which may be difficult to treat or entirely untreatable due to ever-increasing rates of AMR.
Read the article published by WARNING in the World Journal of Emergency Surgery here.
