Michael Borg1
1Head, Department of Infection Prevention & Control, Mater Dei Hospital, Malta
Abstract:
Effective antibiotic stewardship (AS) and infection prevention & control (IPC) remain the cornerstones to address antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in healthcare settings. Evidence-based guidance is widely available to ensure that these two objectives can be achieved; yet, putting the guidance into practice remains often sub-optimal. Indeed, implementing effective and sustainable behaviour change interventions is arguably the single-most difficult challenge for AS and IPC teams.
This presentation will attempt to understand why health care workers continue to struggle to consistently perform simple procedures such as hand hygiene or to follow clear antibiotic guidelines. Behaviour and implementation sciences will be utilised to identify possible strategies that AS and IPC professionals can adopt to improve compliance, and in so doing address AMR in their healthcare organisation.