Archive: December 9, 2016

"A serious infection that cannot be overcome is one of the scariest things that can happen. It's a terrible feeling of being out of control."

- Patient

Antimicrobial resistance is one of the biggest threats to human health and is rising to dangerously high levels in all parts of the world. Anyone, of any age, in any country, could be impacted. While it's normal for microbes to develop resistance to drugs, the way antimicrobials are currently being used is accelerating the process, and as a result common infections and minor injuries are becoming an increasingly greater threat to our well-being. Organizations from across the world are taking action and making progress on this issue, but is there anything patients, their families and patient advisors can do to help?

We believe there is.

Resources

Objective

At the end of this interactive session, participants will leave with at least one practical idea to partner with patients on this issue as a result of their increased understanding of:

• Findings from a recently published article on this topic (see references section below)
• Successful approaches to partner with patients in promoting appropriate use of antimicrobials
• Available resources

Speakers and moderator:

• Kim Neudorf – Patient Champion, Patients for Patient Safety Canada and co-author of Engaging patients in antimicrobial resistance and stewardship will present the findings from this article.

• A panel of patients and providers from developed and developing countries will share how they partnered with patients to promote appropriate use of antimicrobials
• Theresa Malloy-Miller - Patient Champion, Patients for Patient Safety Canada will moderate the dialogue between the panellists and participant

References and resources

Patient engagement in AMR and AMS

• Real life stories of antimicrobial resistance from the World_Antibiotic_Awareness_Week (2016)

• TED talk – Maryn McKenna (2015): what do we do when antibiotics don't work anymore
• TED-Ed – Kevin Wu (2014): what causes antibiotic resistance  
• Government of Canada – how to prevent antibiotic resistance
• Choosing Wisely (2016) - 5 Questions to Ask Before Taking Antibiotics; Treating sinusitis: don't rush to antibiotics
• Institute for Safe Medication Practices Canada (2016) - 5 Questions to Ask about your Medications
• World Health Organization (2016): fact sheet about antimicrobial resistance; recommendations to stop surgical infections and avoid superbugs:
• Canadian Pediatric Society Caring for Kids – webpage explaining colds in children
• Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology – one page visual flyer for patients Infection Prevention in Hospital
• Campaign Zero – Families for patient safety: one page checklist to help prevent C. diff;  one page to help prevent other infections
• Association of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Canada (2016) - Symptom-Free Pee: LET IT BE (Toolkit for Asymptomatic Bacteriuria in Long-Term Care Residents); other antibiotic awareness initiatives
• Canadian Patient Safety Institute - antimicrobial resistance strategies for providers and resources for the public for safe care
• Public Health England (2015) - patient safety alert with links to references, tools and resources
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2015) - Protecting Yourself and Family; Know When Antibiotics Work;  Drug Resistant Gonorrhea; Sepsis: basic information and patient resources  
• Government of Canada (2014) – Template Letter to Parents (from physician) and one page flyer with what to do to help reduce antibiotic resistance
  

Designed by patient/family champions for champions this interactive webinar is offered by the World Health Organization Patients for Patient Safety Programme in partnership with Patients for Patient Safety Canada. For this session the term patient safety champion includes any individual that volunteers as a patient/family representative in programs, groups, networks and/or organizations working to improve quality and safety in healthcare.

For more information contact patients@cpsi-icsp.ca.