Empowering patient advocacy and enhancing antimicrobial stewardship

2024-12-16

As part of World AMR Awareness Week, Ananthapuri Hospital in Kerala, India, hosted an engaging session focused on the importance of patient advocacy, healthcare leadership, and practical strategies to address AMR.

Antimicrobial resistance is a critical global threat that demands action beyond clinical interventions. Empowering patient advocacy can drive awareness, influence policies, and foster behavior change to safeguard the future of antimicrobials. The session at Ananthapuri Hospital highlights the essential role of community-based advocacy in bridging global stewardship efforts with local action, emphasizing collaboration among patients, healthcare professionals, and policymakers.

Patients are central in work to contain antibiotic resistance and AMR. The session emphasized the need for patients to make informed decisions about antibiotic use, supported by information, education and communication materials. By closing knowledge gaps, these resources empower patients to use antibiotics responsibly and hold healthcare systems accountable, fostering a culture of shared responsibility in AMR mitigation.

Strong healthcare leadership essential

Strong healthcare leadership is essential to drive sustainable AMR initiatives. Dr. MarthandaPillai, Director of Ananthapuri Hospital, and Dr. Kamala Swarnam, Antimicrobial Stewardship Team Lead, showcased how effective leadership can inspire teams and institutionalize lasting changes. Their efforts underline the importance of proactive leadership in promoting antimicrobial stewardship and guiding healthcare teams toward actionable solutions.

Doctors play a pivotal role

Doctors play a pivotal role in addressing AMR. Dr. Aravind R, Head of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, delivered a powerful lecture on the principles of antimicrobial stewardship.

He explained the “5 Ds of Stewardship”:

• Diagnosis
• Drug
• Dose
• Duration and
• De-escalation

This is a practical framework for optimizing antibiotic use. Dr. Aravind also emphasized tools like antibiograms and resistance monitoring systems, which support clinicians in making data-driven decisions, improving patient care, and minimizing antibiotic misuse.

Hand hygiene and prescriber education

The session highlighted how simple actions, such as improving hand hygiene and conducting prescriber education, can lead to significant improvements in antibiotic use. Frameworks like the CARES pathway were introduced to encourage consistent, measurable improvements in AMR practices across healthcare settings.

Innovative tools

Innovative tools like the Medibot Antibiogram App, introduced during the session, demonstrated the potential of technology in supporting real-time decisions for antibiotic use. Healthcare leaders were urged to embrace such innovations, ensuring they become integral to healthcare systems.

Collaboration among healthcare professionals emerged as a key theme. Dr. Sreejith, President of the Indian Medical Association, Thiruvananthapuram, endorsed the initiative, emphasizing the collective responsibility of clinicians, administrators, and policymakers to tackle AMR effectively.

Key takeaways and next steps

The session provided actionable insights to strengthen AMR efforts, including:

• Educating Patients: Distribute more IEC materials to empower communities and promote responsible antibiotic use.
• Training Clinicians: Offer regular updates on AMS practices and tools like the MedibotApp.
• Institutionalizing Small Changes: Embed practices like hand hygiene and prescriber education into hospital routines.
• Supporting Leadership and Innovation: Encourage leaders to invest in data-driven tools and champion sustainable AMR practices.’
  Conclusion

The World AMR Awareness Week session at Ananthapuri Hospital highlighted how diverse stakeholders from the public sector, private sector, and civil society can create an enabling environment to address AMR.

Dr. Aravind R, representing the public sector, provided expert insights into antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) and practical frameworks.His leadership reflected the public sector’s role in shaping policies and strengthening AMS practices within healthcare systems.

From the private sector, the Indian Medical Association (IMA), represented by its President, Dr. Sreejith and esteemed members, played the key role of technical agency and the nodal point for mobilizing clinicians simultaneously. The IMA’s endorsement of AMS initiatives demonstrated the potential of professional organizations to drive sector-wide adoption of best practices.

ReAct Asia pacific: a catalyst in a collaborative and inclusive environment

ReAct Asia Pacific acted as a catalyst by enabling a platform where ideas, tools, and innovations could converge. Through this partnership, the session became a platform for knowledge-sharing, fostering leadership, and driving action-oriented discussions. Together, they highlighted how public and private sectors, supported by civil society organizations, can align efforts to educate communities, empower clinicians, and integrate technology to strengthen AMR responses.

By creating such a collaborative and inclusive environment, the session exemplified how multi-sectoral engagement can lay the foundation for sustainable AMR mitigation strategies, ensuring both top-down and bottom-up approaches in the fight against antimicrobial resistance.