Antimicrobial resistance and infection prevention and control

Overview

In this course, you will learn about what AMR is and how resistant infections occur, which pathogens cause the biggest problems globally and in the health care setting, the risk factors and causes of AMR and, most importantly, the role of IPC in reducing AMR. You will learn about strategies to reduce and prevent the occurrence of antibiotic resistance. These strategies include infection prevention and control (IPC), such as observing proper hand hygiene and environmental cleaning

Triaging and isolating/cohorting patients with infections that are antibiotic-resistant

Practicing antimicrobial stewardship

And conducting surveillance. You will also learn about how to use the World Health Organization’s (WHO) multimodal strategies to implement activities to reduce and prevent AMR.

Course contents

Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Overview:
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major threat to health and human development, affecting our ability to treat a range of infections. Treatments for a growing number of health care-associated infections (HAI) have become less effective in many parts of the world due to increasing incidence of infections becoming resistant to antimicrobials. However, a large proportion of these infections can be prevented by implementing infection prevention and control (IPC) measures. In this module, you will learn about what AMR is and how resistant infections occur, which pathogens cause the biggest problems globally and in the health care setting, the risk factors and causes of AMR and, most importantly, the role of IPC in reducing AMR.

Strategies for Overcoming Antibiotic Resistance:
In the last module, you learned about what antibiotic resistance is, how it occurs, and the risk factors that cause it to emerge and spread in the health care setting. In this module, you will learn about strategies to reduce and prevent the occurrence of antibiotic resistance. These strategies include infection prevention and control (IPC), such as observing proper hand hygiene and environmental cleaning; triaging and isolating/cohorting patients with infections that are antibiotic-resistant; practicing antimicrobial stewardship; and conducting surveillance. You will also learn about how to use the World Health Organization’s (WHO) multimodal strategies to implement activities to reduce and prevent AMR.