Antimicrobial Stewardship: Every Clinician's Role
Prescribe, dispense and administer antimicrobials in a way that preserves them.
Program overview
Antimicrobial resistance is now the subject of an updated WHO global action plan running to 2036, and stewardship has moved from a specialist activity to a general professional expectation. This course explains resistance mechanisms in practical terms, then works through the decisions that matter: whether to start, what to start, how to de-escalate on culture results, when to switch from intravenous to oral, and when to stop. It covers the roles of prescribers, pharmacists, nurses and laboratory staff, and includes the documentation and review practices that make stewardship auditable.
Why this program
Practical decision points, not microbiology theory
Covers prescriber, pharmacy, nursing and laboratory roles
Includes IV-to-oral switch and stop decisions
Aligned to current global stewardship priorities
Who it is for
Program objectives
- Explain how antimicrobial resistance develops and spreads
- Apply the decision to start or withhold antimicrobial therapy
- Interpret culture and sensitivity results to guide de-escalation
- Identify appropriate intravenous to oral switch opportunities
- Describe the specific stewardship role of each professional group
- Document antimicrobial decisions in a reviewable form
Learning outcomes
- Evaluate whether antimicrobial therapy is indicated in a described case
- Select an appropriate de-escalation based on given sensitivity results
- Identify IV-to-oral switch eligibility from clinical criteria
- Differentiate colonisation, contamination and infection in a culture report
- Apply a documented review point to an ongoing antimicrobial course
- Recommend stewardship actions appropriate to a stated professional role
Curriculum
Module 1: Resistance: How It Happens
1 lessonsResistance: How It HappensPreview
Selection pressure, transmission and the practical consequences.
Module 2: The Decision to Start
1 lessons- The Decision to Start
Module 3: Choosing and Reviewing
1 lessons- Choosing and Reviewing
Module 4: Switch and Stop
1 lessons- Switch and Stop
Module 5: Roles Across the Team
1 lessons- Roles Across the Team
Module 6: Making Stewardship Auditable
1 lessons- Making Stewardship Auditable
Duration and structure
6 lessons across 6 modules. Duration is expressed in study hours.
What you receive
This certificate confirms completion of Antimicrobial Stewardship: Every Clinician's Role. Duration is expressed in study hours.
Delivery format
- Self-paced — start any time.
- Study on any device.
- Lifetime access to the version you enrolled in.