Education and management of antimicrobials amongst nurses in Africa-a situation analysis: an Infection Control Africa Network (ICAN)/BSAC online survey.

Objectives: To assess the current involvement of nurses in the use and management of antimicrobials and their training in antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) across Africa.

Methods: After a pilot study, an online questionnaire (SurveyMonkey) in both French and English was circulated via the Infection Control Africa Network (ICAN) mailing list to both members and non-members in Africa. The study was conducted from 26 May to 19 August 2016. Data were summarized in proportions and bar charts; proportions were compared using the χ2 test. A multivariate logistic regression model was built to identify independent factors associated with the practice of AMS.

Results: While 96% of the 173 respondents were aware of the term 'AMS', 88.5% (146/165) undertook AMS tasks as part of their job; 91.9% (158/172) wanted to be more involved in AMS but 44.9% (71/158) reported there were barriers in doing so. AMS training was delivered to 36.7% (62/169) and 53.6% (90/168), respectively, during their undergraduate and postgraduate education. AMS training for healthcare workers in their institutions was reported by 50.3% (86/171), including training aimed at doctors (56.9%), pharmacists (76.7%), microbiologists (31.4%) and nurses (95.3%). However, 95.4% (164/172) of respondents asked for further education on AMS and the majority preferred AMS training to be part of the infection prevention curriculum (IPC) education. Three-quarters of institutions had an AMS initiative, but only ∼41% reported having seen a national AMS guideline.

Conclusions: For Africa, we recommend AMS education at undergraduate level, AMS policies at institution and national levels and incorporating AMS training into the IPC for nurses.