Fiona Gotterson1, Kirsty Buising2, Lisa Hall3 and Elizabeth Manias4.
1 Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, 3052; National Centre for Antimicrobial Stewardship, Peter Doherty Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000. Email fgotterson@student.unimelb.edu.au
2 Victorian Infectious Diseases Service, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infections and Immunity, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000; The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Department of Medicine, Parkville Victoria, ; National Centre for Antimicrobial Stewardship, University of Melbourne and Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000. Email: kirsty.buising@mh.org.au.
3 Epidemiology and Biostatistics Division, School of Public Health Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Herston Queensland, 4072. Email l.hall3@uq.edu.au
4 School of Nursing and Midwifery, Centre for Quality and Patient Safety Research, Institute for Health Transformation; Deakin University, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Burwood, Victoria; The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Department of Medicine, Parkville Victoria, Australia; Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne Victoria, 3052. Email emanias@deakin.edu.au
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threatens successful achievement of sustainable development goals and is a challenge for all health professionals. Infection prevention and control, optimising antimicrobial use through antimicrobial stewardship (AMS), and improving laboratory capacity and infection surveillance are priorities for addressing AMR.
Nurses contribute to AMS in all health settings but understanding of this contribution is limited. Discussion about nurses’ AMS contribution has tended towards a focus on nursing tasks, but this overlooks the complexity and nuances of nursing practice, and the place of nurses within the interprofessional team. Nurses can make major contributions to optimising antimicrobial use as the team member who often interacts with patients and their families most. They play a primary role in prevention, recognition, and management of infection, are advocates and educators for patients, and recognised intermediaries between health professionals, patients, and consumers. There are however contextual, social, and behavioural factors which may hinder nurses’ ability to influence antimicrobial use. Recognition of these factors is needed so that they can be addressed.
This presentation will explore learnings from research concerning nurses’ contribution to AMS in different contexts and reflect on what may be needed to support nurses in this endeavour.