How Can Nurses Impact Antimicrobial Resistance?
Recorded On: 04/26/2023
Description:
This session was part of the Sepsis Alliance AMR Conference 2023.
The role of nurses in caring for and improving outcomes for patients with infections and sepsis is well known. Beyond that, nurses can also directly impact antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) through a variety of nurse-driven protocols and practices. These can include thorough assessments and allergy documentation, a questioning attitude towards culturing, evidence-based culturing techniques, and consideration for antimicrobial duration and route of administration. In this session, attendees will learn about the nurse’s role and responsibility in AMR and AMS, gain an understanding of opportunities and barriers to nurses’ engagement in AMS across the continuum of care, and examine key strategies to empower nurses’ ownership, accountability, and contribution to the core elements of AMS.
Learning Objectives:
At the end of the session, the learner should be able to:
- Discuss the nurse’s role and responsibility in AMR and AMS;
- Understand opportunities and barriers to nurses’ engagement in AMS across the continuum of care;
- Review key strategies to empower nurses’ ownership, accountability, and contribution to the core elements of antimicrobial stewardship.
Target Audience:
Nurses, advanced practice providers, physicians, emergency responders, pharmacists, medical technologists, respiratory therapists, physical/occupational therapists, infection prevention specialists, data/quality specialists, and more.
Rita Olans, DNP, CPNP-PC, SNP, FAAN, FNAP
Associate Professor and Pediatric Track Coordinator, School of Nursing
MGH Institute of Health Professions
Rita Olans, DNP, CPNP-PC, SNP, FAAN, FNAP is a nationally recognized leader on nurses’ contributions to antimicrobial stewardship. She has authored numerous publications in nursing and medical literature and is a contributor to the National Quality Partners Playbooks for Antimicrobial Stewardship in Acute Care, in Post-Acute, and in Long-Term Care. Dr. Olans also served as a technical expert to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Programs for Antimicrobial Stewardship in Acute Care and in Ambulatory Settings. She was a co-author of the ANA/CDC White Paper defining the nurse’s role in stewardship. She has been invited by The Joint Commission, the Pew Charitable Trust, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Hospital Association, and the National Quality Forum to address how nurses contribute to antimicrobial stewardship. She is also a frequent presenter to physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, microbiologists, public health officials, and regulatory agencies.
Dr. Olans is an Associate Professor at the MGH Institute of Health Professions and a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.
Provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number CEP17068 for 0.8 contact hours.
Other healthcare professionals will receive a certificate of attendance for 0.5 contact hours.
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