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Background: Hospitalized neonates are vulnerable to infection and have high rates of antibiotic utilization. Methods: Fourteen South African neonatal units (seven public, seven private sector) assembled multidisciplinary teams involving neonatologists, microbiologists, pharmacists, and nurses to implement prospective audit and feedback neonatal antimicrobial stewardship (NeoAMS) interventions. The teams attended seven online training sessions. Pharmacists conducted weekday antibiotic prescription reviews in the neonatal intensive care unit and/or neonatal wards providing feedback to the clinical teams. Anonymized demographic and NeoAMS interventions data were aggregated for descriptive purposes and statistical analysis. Findings: During the 20-week NeoAMS intervention in 2022, 565 neonates were enrolled. Pharmacists evaluated seven hundred antibiotic prescription episodes; rule-out sepsis (180; 26%) and culture-negative sepsis (138; 20%) were the most frequent indications for antibiotic prescription. For infection episodes with an identified pathogen, only 51% (116/229) of empiric treatments provided adequate antimicrobial coverage. Pharmacists recommended 437 NeoAMS interventions (0·6 per antibiotic prescription episode), with antibiotic discontinuation (42%), therapeutic drug monitoring (17%), and dosing (15%) recommendations most frequent. Neonatal clinicians’ acceptance rates for AMS recommendations were high (338; 77%). Mean antibiotic length of therapy decreased by 24% from 9·1 to 6·9 days (0·1 day decrease per intervention week; P = 0·001), with the greatest decline in length of therapy for culture-negative sepsis (8·2 days (95% CI 5·7-11·7) to 5·9 days (95% CI 4·6-7·5); P = 0·032). Interpretation: This neonatal AMS programme was successfully implemented in heterogenous and resource-limited settings. Pharmacist-recommended AMS interventions had high rates of clinician acceptance. The NeoAMS intervention significantly reduced neonatal antibiotic use, particularly for culture-negative sepsis. Funding: A grant from Merck provided partial support.

Introduction: Insufficient training in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) in the pharmacy curricula limits pharmacists’ participation in AMS activities in India. We explored the potential impact of an AMR curriculum implemented as part of a research project in one of the pharmacy colleges in Kerala, India. Methods: Data were collected using documentary analysis (minutes of meetings and the AMR curriculum developed) and semi-structured qualitative interviews with key informants face-to-face or via the Zoom platform at the participant's convenience. Anonymized interview transcripts were thematically analyzed aided by NVivo 12 software. Results: We interviewed faculty (n = 4), clinical pharmacists (n = 3), and students (n = 6) involved in the design, implementation, and use of the new curriculum. The development and implementation of the new curriculum was conducted through strategically planned and established methodology with equal involvement from the pharmacy college and the research project team. Challenges in this process included a lack of human resources to take classes, time, limited interactions, and motivation of students during the online classes. Despite this, students who attended the classes agreed that the curriculum introduced them to AMS and AMR concepts which helped them during their clinical postings. They agreed that it would be beneficial if a similar curriculum was implemented in other pharmacy colleges. Conclusion: Learnings from this study would be beneficial for other pharmacy colleges to implement a similar AMR curriculum for training pharmacy students to take key roles in AMS, especially in countries like India where postgraduate training for pharmacists remains limited.

Pregnant and postnatal women are a high-risk population particularly prone to rapid progression to sepsis with significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Moreover, severe maternal infections can have a serious detrimental impact on neonates with almost 1 million neonatal deaths annually attributed to maternal infection or sepsis. In this review we discuss the susceptibility of pregnant women and their specific physiological and immunological adaptations that contribute to their vulnerability to sepsis, the implications for the neonate, as well as the issues with antimicrobial stewardship and the challenges this poses when attempting to reach a balance between clinical care and urgent treatment. Finally, we review advancements in the development of pregnancy-specific diagnostic and therapeutic approaches and how these can be used to optimize the care of pregnant women and neonates.

Objectives: We investigated the roles of patient carers in infection-related care on surgical wards in a South Indian hospital from the perspective of healthcare workers (HCWs), patients, and their carers. Methods: Ethnographic study included ward-round observations (138 hours) and face-to-face interviews (44 HCWs, 6 patients/carers). Data (field notes, interview transcripts) were coded in NVivo 12 and thematically analyzed. Data collection and analysis were iterative, recursive, and continued until thematic saturation. Results: Carers have important, unrecognized roles. At the study site, institutional expectations are formalized in policies, demanding a carer to always accompany in-patients. Such intense presence embeds families in the patient care environment, as demonstrated by their high engagement in direct personal (bathing patients) and clinical care (wound care). Carers actively participate in discussions on patient progress with HCWs, including therapeutic options. There is a misalignment between how carers are positioned by the organization (through policy mandates, institutional practices, and HCWs expectations), and the role that they play in practice, resulting in their role, though indispensable, remaining unrecognized. Conclusion: Current models of patient and carer involvement in infection prevention and control are poorly aligned with sociocultural and contextual aspects of care. Culture-sensitive infection prevention and control policies which embrace the roles that carers play are urgently needed.

Summary: At the 2015 World Health Assembly, UN member states adopted a resolution that committed to the development of national action plans (NAPs) for antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The political determination to commit to NAPs and the availability of robust governance structures to assure sustainable translation of the identified NAP objectives from policy to practice remain major barriers to progress. Inter-country variability in economic and political resilience and resource constraints could be fundamental barriers to progressing AMR NAPs. Although there have been regional and global analyses of NAPs from a One Health and policy perspective, a global assessment of the NAP objectives targeting antimicrobial use in human populations is needed. In this Health Policy, we report a systematic evidence synthesis of existing NAPs that are aimed at tackling AMR in human populations. We find marked gaps and variability in maturity of NAP development and operationalisation across the domains of: (1) policy and strategic planning; (2) medicines management and prescribing systems; (3) technology for optimised antimicrobial prescribing; (4) context, culture, and behaviours; (5) operational delivery and monitoring; and (6) patient and public engagement and involvement. The gaps identified in these domains highlight opportunities to facilitate sustainable delivery and operationalisation of NAPs. The findings from this analysis can be used at country, regional, and global levels to identify AMR-related priorities that are relevant to infrastructure needs and contexts.

This article summarizes the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, on an international project to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The research leadership and process, the access to data, and stakeholders were deeply disrupted by the national and international response to the pandemic, including the interruption of healthcare delivery, lockdowns, and quarantines. The key principles to deliver the research through the pandemic were mainly the high degree of interdisciplinary engagement with integrated teams, and equitable partnership across sites with capacity building and leadership training. The level of preexisting collaboration and partnership were also keys to sustaining connections and involvements throughout the pandemic. The pandemic offered opportunities for realigning research priorities. Flexibility in funding timelines and projects inputs are required to accommodate variance introduced by external factors. The current models for research collaboration and funding need to be critically evaluated and redesigned to retain the innovation that was shown to be successful through this pandemic.

ABSTRACT: Objective: To explore the existing evidence on patient understanding of and/or participation in infection-related care in surgical specialties. Method: A scoping review of the literature was conducted. PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and grey literature sources were searched using predefined search criteria for policies, guidelines, and studies in the English language. Data synthesis was done through content and thematic analysis to identify key themes in the included studies. Results: The initial search identified 604 studies, of which 41 (36 from high-income and five from low- and middle-income countries) were included in the final review. Most of the included studies focused on measures to engage patients in infection prevention and control (IPC) activities, with few examples of antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) engagement strategies. While patient engagement interventions in infection-related care varied depending on study goals, surgical wound management was the most common intervention. AMS engagement was primarily limited to needs assessment, without follow-up to address such needs. Conclusion: Existing evidence highlights a gap in patient participation in infection-related care in the surgical pathway. Standardization of patient engagement strategies is challenging, particularly in the context of surgery, where several factors influence how the patient can engage and retain information. Infection-related patient engagement and participation strategies in surgery need to be inclusive and contextually fit.

Summary: Background: A single pre-operative antibiotic dose provides optimal prophylaxis against surgical site infection (SSI), but significant variability persists in adherence to prophylaxis guidelines. We describe a quality improvement project aiming to improve guideline-driven antibiotic prescribing within surgical teams at a tertiary hospital. Methods: Face-to-face interviews with surgical teams and anonymous surveys of senior surgeons and anaesthetists were used to collect qualitative data on the perceptions and attitudes of prescribers. This informed intervention development, including a daily ward-round checklist using the acronymous ‘ABBDDOMM’, from A (antibiotics) to M (microbiology), combined with education and heightened guideline accessibility. A first audit cycle was performed for patients undergoing intra-abdominal surgery during a two-month period (cycle one). Post-implementation data were collected 12 months later (cycle two). Findings: Interviews provided insight into common themes and barriers surrounding antibiotic prescribing, whilst surveys explored future solutions to these barriers. In cycle one, 100/205 (48.8%) patients received extended antibiotics beyond the single-dose prophylaxis. Following intervention, only 41/138 (29.7%) patients received extended antibiotic courses, demonstrating a 21.5% reduction in prolonged antibiotics (P