Short Course on Antibiotic Stewardship Foundations

The rationale of this course is to provide participants with the essential knowledge and clinical skills that is needed to be a hospital ward pharmacist. To provide an overview of the basic principles of antimicrobial stewardship and the implementation thereof and to equip participants with the knowledge to implement an antibiotic stewardship programme in their clinical environment.

Purpose of the course

The purpose of this course is to:
• Equip participants with the skills and tools needed to start an antibiotic or any other stewardship programme in their clinical work environment (e.g. hospital).
• Give an understanding of the most common pathogens encountered in a hospital and/or clinical work environment
• Enable participants to read laboratory results in order to give an educated answer to dose adjustments and therapy in general
• Provide participants with an overview and knowledge on the antibiotics used in the hospital and/or clinical work environment
• Provide an overview of the importance of infection prevention in antimicrobial stewardship
• Equip participants with the tools to identify areas for improvement in their clinical work environment

Admission requirements

Admission requirements
None
Learning assumed to be in place
BPharm degree (or equivalent)

Course outcomes and assessment criteria

Course outcomes and the associated assessment criteria

Study Unit

Outcomes

Assessment Criteria
  After completion of this course, participants will: Participant will be assessed on the following criteria:
  The participant will have the integrated knowledge, critical understanding and application thereof to identify areas for improvement in their clinical work environment (e.g. hospital) and to function as part of a healthcare team.
  • Formulate and implement a PDSA (Plan, Do, Study, Act) in the work environment.
  • Exhibit an understanding of the importance of starting small, targeting for example intra-venous-to-oral conversions, batching of intra-venous antimicrobials, therapeutic substitutions and formulary restrictions.
  • Show a critical understanding and knowledge of infection prevention.
  The participant will have integrated knowledge of the basic taxonomy of organisms causing diseases, the different ways of testing for resistance (MIC etc.), the most common organisms found in a clinical environment (e.g. hospital) and the resistance patterns thereof.
  • Distinguish and understand the basic taxonomy micro-organisms.
  • Differentiate and describe the most common organisms which are found in a clinical environment.
  • Extricate between the different resistances patterns of common organisms.
  The participant will have integrated knowledge and be able to interpret blood lab results that can influence patient treatment and therapy.
  • Interpret results of the most commonly used blood tests and give informative advice regarding medicine dosing and change in therapy, taking into account the presence of infection as well as liver and kidney function of the patient.
  The participant will have a critical understanding and integrated knowledge of antibiotics prescribed for empiric use and the correct choice and dosing of antibiotics.
  • Extricate a critical understanding of the time and dose dependence, correct dosing, loading doses and route of administration of antibiotics.
  • Formulate and show the ability to make dose adjustments in certain patient populations (e.g. patients with AIDS, burn patients and patients with renal failure).

 

Assessment
Summative assessment by means of the completion of a work assignment at the end of each study unit.
Method of assessment
Participants will be assessed by means of compulsory work assignments on each study unit.
A subminimum of 40% for each work assignment and a course mark of at least 70% must be achieved in order to pass the short course. The four work assignments will contribute equally to the course mark (e.g. average of the marks obtained for the work assignments).
Participant who achieve a course mark of 70% of above will receive a certificate of competence.

Additional information

Mode of delivery
Distance
Target group
Pharmacists working in an clinical environment (e.g. hospital)

Contact us

Contact person name
Mr Andy de Koker
Contact person e-mail
andy.dekoker@nwu.ac.za
Contact person telephone number
(018) 299 2260