Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a professional and political challenge that requires the engagement of the frontline nurses. Although Action Plans are being developed setting out roadmaps to tackle the burden of AMR, the nursing workforce needs to be part of the policy designs, making frontline implementation a reality. Therefore, the EFN calls on the European Commission and the EU Member States political leaders and policy-makers to substantially engage with frontline nurses through the National Nurses Associations and EFN.
Due to nurses’ close relation with citizens and patients and their unique role in infection prevention and control, and hygiene, nurses are, as part of a multi-disciplinary team, one of the most influential actors to combat AMR frontline. Therefore, AMR can only be tackled frontline by ‘fit for purpose’ health policies and national AMR Action Plans reflecting the nurses voice.
On the European Awareness Day on Antimicrobial Resistance, the EFN collected experiences related to “Link nurses – Infection prevention and control nurses”, “Frontline engagement in policy design”, and “Nurse prescribing”. Nurses are becoming more and more prescribers, in most Member States, they strongly influence medication compliance, reconciliation with a specific focus on citizens’/patients’ health literacy and decreasing the risk of HCAIs. The EFN regrets that the potential contribution that nurses can generate in the management of antimicrobials still remains under-explored.
In order to strengthen evidence-based policy-making, and supporting the European Antibiotic Awareness Day, the EFN Report on Nursing combating AMR provides examples of nurses leading combatting AMR in Europe. In parallel, some video recordings of European nurses explaining how nursing care can contribute to combat AMR are also available.