Antimicrobial Stewardship: Every Clinician's Role

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. Who it is for

Physician · Pharmacist · Nurse · Lab Technician · Quality Officer

4. 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

5. 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

6. Curriculum

1. Module 1: Resistance: How It Happens

   • Resistance: How It Happens

2. Module 2: The Decision to Start

   • The Decision to Start

3. Module 3: Choosing and Reviewing

   • Choosing and Reviewing

4. Module 4: Switch and Stop

   • Switch and Stop

5. Module 5: Roles Across the Team

   • Roles Across the Team

6. Module 6: Making Stewardship Auditable

   • Making Stewardship Auditable

7. Duration and structure

Total study hours: 3.5 — 2.75h content + 0.75h assessment. Duration is expressed in study hours only.

9. What you receive

This certificate confirms completion of Antimicrobial Stewardship: Every Clinician's Role. Duration is expressed in study hours.

10. Delivery format

Self-paced · start any time · any device · lifetime access to the enrolled version.