Hospital & Specialty Training
Anti-Microbial Stewardship
Rational antibiotic use - hospital antibiogram, escalation/de-escalation, restricted antimicrobials and AMR containment.
- track
- Hospital & Specialty Training
- format
- Self-paced
What this module covers
Rational antibiotic use - hospital antibiogram, escalation/de-escalation, restricted antimicrobials and AMR containment.
This is a self-paced training module that maps to ICMR Antimicrobial Stewardship Program Guidelines. It is delivered inside the MedNext app so clinicians and hospital staff can work through it between shifts, with no live sessions or fixed deadlines.
What it covers in detail
Anti-Microbial Stewardship
- Why antimicrobial resistance is a national and global threat and how misuse of antibiotics drives it.
- The principles of rational prescribing: right drug, dose, route and duration, and taking cultures before starting antibiotics where feasible.
- Using the local antibiogram to guide empirical therapy, and de-escalating to a narrow-spectrum agent once cultures return.
- Restricted and reserve antimicrobials, the antimicrobial stewardship team, and prescriber authorisation.
- Surgical prophylaxis timing and duration, and stopping antibiotics that are no longer needed.
Who should complete this, and why
Prescribers of every specialty, ward and ICU nurses, and hospital pharmacists all influence antibiotic use and therefore resistance. ICMR's stewardship guidelines call for a hospital antimicrobial stewardship programme, and every clinician who prescribes or administers antimicrobials is part of it.
What you will be able to do after this module
On completion you should be able to
- Prescribe antibiotics rationally by indication, spectrum, dose and duration.
- Use the local antibiogram and de-escalate on culture results.
- Recognise restricted antimicrobials and the authorisation they require.
- Apply correct surgical prophylaxis timing and duration.
Frequently asked questions
What is antibiotic de-escalation?
De-escalation means switching from a broad-spectrum empirical antibiotic to the narrowest effective agent once culture and sensitivity results are available, or stopping antibiotics if infection is not confirmed. It reduces resistance pressure and side effects.
Why take cultures before starting antibiotics?
Cultures taken before the first dose are far more likely to identify the organism and its sensitivities, which allows targeted therapy and de-escalation. Starting antibiotics first often makes cultures unhelpful.
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Open in the MedNext appSee plans