Antimicrobial Stewardship

Lecturer: Aneela Tehseen

Aneela Tehseen is a Clinical Pharmacist with extensive experience in general practice, specialising in antimicrobial stewardship. Her role focuses on promoting the safe, effective, and responsible use of antibiotics to combat antimicrobial resistance. She is passionate about improving prescribing practices, educating healthcare professionals, and ensuring optimal patient outcomes through evidence-based interventions. Aneela regularly provides training sessions on antimicrobial stewardship, helping clinicians balance effective treatment with the need to preserve the efficacy of antibiotics.

Aims for the Session

• To increase clinicians’ understanding of antimicrobial stewardship and its importance in reducing antimicrobial resistance.
• To promote safe, evidence-based antibiotic prescribing practices.
• To enhance clinical decision-making when managing infections in primary care settings.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Explain the principles of antimicrobial stewardship and its role in combating antimicrobial resistance.
2. Identify common infections in primary care that require antimicrobial treatment and those that do not.
3. Apply current national guidelines (e.g., NICE and Public Health England) when prescribing antibiotics.
4. Recognise the importance of delayed prescribing strategies and patient education in reducing antibiotic use.
5. Implement safety-netting and effective communication strategies when managing patients with self-limiting infections.

Reference List 

1. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) (2023) Antimicrobial stewardship: systems and processes for effective antimicrobial medicine use (NG15). Available at: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng15

2. Public Health England (PHE) (2021) Management and antimicrobial prescribing guidance for common infections in primary care. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/antimicrobial-prescribing-guidance-for-managing-common-infections

3. World Health Organisation (WHO) (2019) Antimicrobial stewardship programmes in health-care facilities in low- and middle-income countries. Geneva: WHO. Available at: https://www.who.int

4. Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) (2020) TARGET Antibiotic Toolkit. Available at: https://www.rcgp.org.uk/clinical-and-research/resources/toolkits/target-antibiotic-toolkit.aspx 

5. British National Formulary (BNF) (n.d.) Antibacterial drugs: prescribing guidance. Available at: https://bnf.nice.org.uk