Experts working with rational use have described having a multidisciplinary committee with support from key stakeholders as a crucial first step in developing a rational use program. Committees should be made up of appointed persons, and should have clear objectives, functions and a defined scope of responsibilities.
Form a rational use committee
A multidisciplinary interprofessional committee should be formed with motivated individuals who are committed to promoting the rational use of antibiotics. This committee can be either stand-alone, or be part of an health care facility’s Drug and Therapeutics Committee. Ideally, the rational use committee should be led or supervised by an infectious diseases physician and/or a clinical pharmacist with infectious diseases training. The team should aim to include but not be limited to:
- Doctors who prescribe antibiotics (for example specialists in infectious diseases, intensive medicine, paediatrics)
- Specialist pharmacists (with infectious diseases training)
- Nurses
- Clinical microbiologists
- Members of management
- Members of the Infection Control Committee
- Others may be appointed as needed (such as an information technology specialist, a hospital epidemiologist etc)
Reaching success with limited personnel
While it is ideal for rational use programs to be supported by an infectious disease physician and clinical pharmacist, the reality is there are not enough specialists in any healthcare system. Examples from Vietnam and Denmark show that this gap can be addressed by partnering with a larger hospital with an established rational use program, and implementing targeted initiatives.
With limited resources, it is crucial to ensure that programs are led by committed, influential, key stakeholders, rooted in existing infrastructure. As a patient safety issue, rational use should be a concern for all healthcare personnel and the contribution of nurses, pharmacists and data clerks can lead to measurable differences in antibiotic use. Clinical specialists provide extremely valuable technical expertise. However, the collective power of all healthcare workers interacting with patients must be harnessed for effective disease management and to reduce the spread of antibiotic resistance.
Collaborate with others
Rational use programs may overlap and intertwine with other initiatives or departments at the health facility and must be a collaborative effort that with support and by-in at all levels in the continuum of care. Rational use initiatives work closely together with both clinical microbiology laboratories and infection prevention and control programs. The clinical microbiology laboratory is responsible for identifying organisms, genotyping and determining susceptibility so that those working within rational use can prescribe the appropriate antibiotic for treatment. Through monitoring of resistance, the clinical microbiology laboratory also feeds information to infection control programs that work to prevent the spread of resistant infections. To facilitate the success of the program, good working relationships should be established with the :
- Infection prevention and control committee
- Clinical microbiology laboratory
- Pharmacy and therapeutics committee
- Healthcare epidemiologists
- Clinical microbiology laboratory
Ensure support from stakeholders
Support is needed from health care facility administration, medical staff leadership, and all levels of healthcare providers. To begin, expected outcomes of the program should be agreed upon together with authorities. A strategic plan clearly stating goals and objectives, and including a timeline and budget should be presented to and approved by management. This will help to ensure support for education and training and that staff are allowed to devote time to rational use activities. Ideally, rational use committee members should be compensated appropriately for their time, and their commitments should be outlined in job descriptions and performance reviews.
Establish the role of the rational use committee
An agreement should be made with management that clearly states the mandate of the rational use committee, outlining their level of authority to perform tasks and the responsibilities of its members. Health care facility staff should be made aware of rational use activities and their importance. When possible, it is good to have rational use programs operate under the auspices of quality assurance and patient safety. The focus should always be on the safety and care of patients rather than a policing activity.
Information sharing among stakeholders involved in antibiotic resistance containment
In Sweden, the Strama network is responsible for coordination of work on containment of antibiotic resistance. Strama engages stakeholders from different areas from within the Swedish health system and works with multi-disciplinary communication and local implementation.
Every year, the Strama network organizes national “Strama Days” where working groups from national and local levels are able to meet and exchange experiences both from local to national level and vice-versa, and from one local representative to another. This has proven to be an important meeting point for this interplay, independent from commercial and pharmaceutical interest.
More on how Strama works here.
Selected Resources
| Resource | Description |
| Guidelines on Implementation of the Antimicrobial Strategy in South Africa: One Health Approach & Governance | Guideline. Example of a country implementation guideline. Section V covers governance at the health facility level. |
| Building Coalitions for Containing Antimicrobial Resistance: A Guide | Manual that helps stakeholders organize collaborations to address antimicrobial resistance. The chapter “Mobilize support” presents guidance on how to identify stakeholders, organize a working group and establish group procedures. Provides a number of useful templates such as stakeholder interview guide and sample agenda for kickoff meeting. An older version is available in Spanish and French. |
More from "Set up a program"
- Engage stakeholders
- Assess the situation
- Plan
- Implement
- Evaluate progress