Preceding the European Antibiotic Awareness Day organised by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) in Stockholm on 18 November 2014, the European Federation of Nurses Associations (EFN), represented by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), shared the evidence on nurses’ role in modern healthcare systems, which currently rely heavily on the use of antibiotics and other antimicrobial agents to support patient care.
Being the largest group within the health workforce and nurse prescribing becoming a legal and professional reality in several Member States – Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Spain and the UK – the nursing staff plays already a vital role for change through their leadership and skills supporting infection prevention and control, antimicrobial stewardship, and implementing public health strategies. The evidence shows that the design of integrated nursing care pathways recognise, encourage and facilitates innovation, health system reform and better patient outcomes.
Infection control nurses, LINK NURSES, and nurse prescribers are uniquely placed to inform and empower citizens for an appropriate use of antibiotics.
Information for evidence-based policy-making: “Anti-Microbial Resistance and the Role of the Nurse”