Improving outcomes through antimicrobial stewardship

Antimicrobial resistance is a growing global and UK-wide threat, but antimicrobial stewardship is not solely the responsibility of specialists. Nurses working across community, care home, primary and hospital settings play a critical role in the safe and effective use of antimicrobials every day.

For many non-specialist nurses, antimicrobial stewardship can feel complex, specialist-led or disconnected from the realities of frontline practice. Yet everyday nursing actions such as assessment, medicines management, communication, documentation and coordination of care have a direct impact on antibiotic use, patient safety and antimicrobial resistance.

This interactive webinar is designed to build confidence and capability by grounding antimicrobial stewardship in real-world nursing practice. Using case scenarios following a patient journey from the community to hospital care and back home, the webinar will demonstrate how nurses can apply stewardship principles in practical, achievable ways across different care settings.

The webinar will focus on getting the diagnosis right, appropriate and effective medicines management, prevention of antibiotic-related harm and supporting transitions of care. Throughout, it will emphasise clear communication with patients and families and effective interprofessional working as essential components of antimicrobial stewardship.

By focusing on what nurses can realistically influence within busy clinical environments, this webinar aims to support improved patient outcomes while contributing to a system-wide response to antimicrobial resistance.

Agenda

12:00 – 12:05 Chair’s introduction

12:05 – 12:20 Lived experience: a patient journey through infection and antibiotics

12:20 – 12:45 Antimicrobial stewardship and antimicrobial resistance: the essentials

12:45 – 12:55 Comfort break

Case-based learning: antimicrobial stewardship in nursing practice: Across all scenarios: medicines management, communication with patients and families, documentation and interprofessional working

12:55 – 13:20 Scenario 1: getting the diagnosis right in the community and care home setting

13:20 – 13:45 Scenario 2: medicines management and review in hospital care

13:45 – 14:05 Scenario 3: recovery, IVOS and safe transition back home

14:05 – 14:25 Panel Q&A

14:25 – 14:30 Chair’s closing remarks

Learning objectives

By the end of this webinar participants will be able to:

• describe antimicrobial stewardship and antimicrobial resistance in the context of everyday nursing practice
• explain how nursing assessment, decision making and communication influence antibiotic use across community, care home and hospital settings
• apply principles of accurate diagnosis and sampling to support appropriate antimicrobial use and reduce unnecessary prescribing
• demonstrate appropriate medicines management in antimicrobial therapy, including administration, monitoring, review, documentation and intravenous to oral switch
• recognise and help prevent antibiotic-related harm, including Clostridioides difficile infection
• support safe transitions of care through effective discharge planning and patient education
• communicate confidently with patients and families about infection, antibiotics and expectations while working effectively within the multidisciplinary team