Pfizer conducts workshop for Nurses to raise awareness for Antimicrobial Stewardship & Infection Prevention Control

Mumbai: To drive the message of educating nurses on antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) and Infection Prevention Control (IPC), Pfizer India, in collaboration with Trained Nurses Association (TNAI) and Americares India Foundation conducted a day-long workshop on the occasion of International Nurses Day.

The workshop witnessed participation from over 200+ nurses from across Maharashtra along with delegates from President of Trained Nursing Association of India, Maharashtra, representatives from Maharashtra Nursing Council, Director Nursing PJ Hinduja Hospital, TMH, Sahyadri Pune, and Criticare Asia Mumbai. The workshop session also raised awareness about OPEN-AMR, India’s first free online platform for educating nurses on antimicrobial resistance and stewardship.

Pfizer’s OPEN-AMR online platform was launched with an aim to educate nurses on Infection Prevention Control & Anti-microbial Stewardship Practices under Anti-microbial Resistance. The concept of education on AMS (Antimicrobial Stewardship) has been prevailing for past 25 years and was initially projected towards doctors, physicians, and Infection Control Group. But with time, the forum became available for all nurses, and not just Intensive Care Unit workers. The platform has an enrolment of 22,000 + nurses across 830 + healthcare institutions.

Dr Harish Thanusubramaniam, Medical Advisor, Pfizer India, stated, “We are excited to announce our partnership with Trained Nurses Association (TNAI) of India and Americares India Foundation to promote OPEN-AMR. The OPEN-AMR platform is the largest initiative by Pfizer which will offer nurses an opportunity to improve their skills in infection prevention control and antimicrobial stewardship. At Pfizer India, we are dedicated to promoting responsible use of antibiotics and infection prevention control measures to enhance patient outcomes and this time, we’re doing it by empowering the nursing community.”

Through the OPEN-AMR learning platform, nurses will gain awareness and a better perspective on AMS & IPC practices and thus will aid in reducing the incidence of AMR across the country. This, in unison, will aid in developing institutional capacity and create hospitals as centres of excellence in the field of IPC and AMS, thus forming a best practice model for Hospitals across India.

OPEN-AMR provides six certificate programs on IPC & AMR in English and six Indian languages: Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Marathi. The course content is curated by subject matter experts and presented in an engaging audio-visual format. The program offers learners the flexibility to access it anytime from anywhere.

Surekha Sawant, President, Trained Nurses Association of India (TNAI) Maharashtra State Branch, remarked that, “Promoting nursing education is one of the objectives at TNAI and we have been conducting educative programs for nurses’ time and again. The OPEN-AMR program is a thought-provoking initiative that will drive awareness amongst the nursing community about the processes they have been following but are unknown to its impact and meaning towards patient outcomes. We are pleased to partner with Pfizer India, which is educating frontline healthcare workers in AMR and IPC.”

Meenakshi Batra, Country Director, Americares India Foundation, commented that, “Our company’s core mission is to enhance the health of individuals, enabling them to achieve their full potential. The AMS concept is centred around outlining learning objectives and outcomes that focus on the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required by nurses to responsibly use antimicrobials in safeguarding the health of individuals and populations. This includes working independently or as part of multidisciplinary teams in public health, primary care or healthcare facilities. We have been closely engaged with 11 hospitals across the country, and our partnership with Pfizer Ltd. for the program will ensure the optimal use of antibiotics, which is crucial in effectively treating infections, protecting patients from unnecessary antibiotic use, and fighting against antibiotic resistance.”

Jyoti Amge, Nurse Representative, Criticare Hospital Kurla, who attended the workshop expressed, “Nurses play a crucial role in the fight against AMR. They can support the judicious use of antimicrobials through various means such as assessing the right antimicrobial treatment, educating patients and the public, and implementing infection prevention and control practices and reducing errors in medication and administration of antibiotics. The OPEN-AMR program by Pfizer India provides nurses with greater access to enhance their knowledge and skills in infection prevention control and antimicrobial stewardship. With the sensitization of the program in nurses, we would expect that our decision making is acknowledged by other healthcare personnels positively.”