Antimicrobial Drug Resistance web-based CME

18 December 2014
12:04
IRIMC
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Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threatens the effective prevention and treatment of an ever-increasing range of infections caused by bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi. A continued professional education activity jointly spons...

Antimicrobial drug resistance (AMR or AMDR) is a multidimensional and systemic failure of the health, education, societal behavior, and medical policies and practices

In 2011, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that 63,000 patients die each year in US hospitals and 25,000 patients lose their lives annually in the European Union due to antibiotic-resistant infections. The annual estimated economic burden is US $2.1 billion in the European Union, US $34 billion in the United States, and US $2.453 billion globally. At the Sixty-seventh World Health Assembly in May 2014, the World Health Organization was requested to develop a draft global action plan to combat antimicrobial resistance, to be submitted to the Sixty-eighth World Health Assembly in May 2015. To achieve this goal, WHO has set out some major plans: -Surveillance of antimicrobial resistance which tracks changes in microbial populations, permits the early detection of resistant strains of public health importance, and supports the prompt notification and investigation of outbreaks. Surveillance findings are needed to inform clinical therapy decisions, to guide policy recommendations, and to assess the impact of resistance containment interventions. -Improving Antimicrobial use by increasing appropriate use & decreasing inappropriate use. For achieving this objective, The WHO Medicines Department provides guidance into educational and regulatory strategies for improving the use of medicines by patients, healthcare professionals, and national authorities. -Surveillance of antimicrobial use which tracks how and why antimicrobials are being used and misused by patients and healthcare providers. Monitoring antimicrobial prescription and consumption behavior provides insights and tools needed to inform therapy decisions, to assess the public health consequences of antimicrobial misuse, and to evaluate the impact resistance containment interventions. -Infection prevention by improving hygiene and proper methods of medical decisions and interventions to reduce Healthcare-associated infections which are one of the primary causes of death and suffering in hospitalized patients throughout the world.

Four major challenges should be recognized and addressed by the world medical community.

AMDR is extending beyond national boundaries, presenting a significant threat to health and increasing the costs of medical care.
Collaboration among healthcare, pharmaceutical, agricultural, and consumer communities is a prerequisite to ward off this evolving pandemic.
Adequate funding for proactive surveillance and development of new antimicrobial drugs and vaccines should be made available.
Antibiotic drug stewardship, including education of stakeholders, implementation of hygiene practices, and responsible dispensing and use, are essential strategic elements of all preventive practices.

A continued professional education activity jointly sponsored by the Center for the Study of International Medical Policies and Practices (CSIMPP), School of Public Policy, George Mason University and MedEDirect, LTD., in collaboration with the World Medical Association (WMA) and the International Society for Microbial Resistance (ISMR) has been developed. CME credits are also available free of charge through the MedEDirect

Center for the Study of International Medical Policies and Practices (CSIMPP) provides a global medical and health policy focus for the School of Policy, Government, and International Affairs at George Mason University. The Center promotes inter- and trans-disciplinary research and training. CSIMPP focus is on applying the evidence base knowledge to the medical and health policy formulation and practice. The Center has working relationships with many professional organizations including the World Medical Association (WMA) and the Academy of Disaster Medicine. The unique expertise of the CSIMPP faculty contributes to the overall SPP and GMU mission by promoting academic activities in:

Evidence-based application to medical policy formulation;
Geographical Information System (GIS), social networks and epidemiology;
Modeling medical and health policy processes;
Priority setting and ethical considerations in allocating scarce medical resources;
Emerging and reemerging infections, including antimicrobial drug resistance;
Disaster preparedness and recovery, with emphasis on disparities;
Medical standards and policies in support of operations in extreme environments;
Health and medical community network analysis;
Modeling spatio-temporal behavior and interaction.

Its affiliations are World Medical Association (WMA), International Society for Microbial Resistance (ISMR), Policy Studies Organization (PSO) and MedEDirect.

MedEDirect is an organization dedicated to developing the highest quality continuing professional education programming possible to meet the ongoing and evolving education needs of physicians, pharmacists, nurses, and other healthcare providers. MedEDirect incorporates an organizational framework and management policies that provide the necessary resources to support it's mission and to meet and exceed accreditation standards.

Clinical Staff With an Understanding of Industry Needs The MedEDirect team includes MDs, RNs, PharmDs, PhDs, educators, medical writers, and editors in the life sciences, each of whom has a thorough understanding of medical, legal, and regulatory continuing education compliance issues. To ensure that the team stays up to date, MedEDirect provides a rigorous, ongoing training program on the guidelines of the accreditation organizations of the health professions. Quality Control MedEDirect is dedicated to producing exemplary CME programs. To maintain the high standards, it follows a continuous quality improvement process that assures best practices within the organization that allows the organization to improve the development and delivery of future programs. Format Strategy Each activity is designed with the goal of increasing the impact, reach, and cost-effectiveness of the educational content. Distribution channels and education formats facilitate 24/7 learner accessibility including: Web-based activities, publications, teleconferences/Web conferences, clinical monographs, journal supplements, grand rounds, live programs, and CD-ROMs/DVDs. Most often, the interactive electronic case studies, strategic combination of different formats provides the most effective dissemination of education possible. Through Patient-as-Textbook™ (PaT), MedEDirect also offers practice improvement activities (PI CME). PI CME are activities for which MedEDirect structures a self-directed, three-stage process by which a physician, or group of physicians, identifies and applies changes in practice resulting from knowledge gained in a CME activity. A case presentation format is used for reporting and documenting results. The goal is performance improvement in clinical practice. A PI CME activity may address any facet in the evaluation and management of a patient case related to the learning objectives of a CME activity already attended by the learner.

The Center for the Study of International Medical Policies and Practices (CSIMPP) and the International Society for Microbial Resistance (ISMR) are its educational partners.

News Source: WMA, WHO, CSIMPP, MedEDirect

Dr. Shima Naghavi, Director of International Affairs