Course on “Control of multidrug-resistant micro-organisms (MDROs) in health care settings”
The main objective of the course was to strengthen capacity in EU Member States for control of healthcare-associated infections due to multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) in acute health care settings and to promote the broadest possible implementation of appropriate methods. A second objective was to achieve team building between colleagues with similar responsibilities in control of nosocomial spread of MDROs and to share training approaches, knowledge and best practices among participants and expert leaders in the field.
The programme was delivered in blended format, with pre-course reading opened two weeks before the three day residential training course. The complete face to face course had 7 sessions. The pre-programme learning utilised the expertise of the participants and enhance their experiences within the taught component of the face to face sessions.
The topics covered by the course included:
- Introduction to the programme and consolidation of pre-programme materials (introduction to MDRO education programme, consolidation and review of microbiological and epidemiological perspectives)
- Laboratory Investigations (identification and susceptibility testing, good laboratory practice)
- Antibiotic stewardship (antibiotic policies, measures for improvement of prescribing)
- Infection control (principles and evidence based practice, effective infection control interventions)
- Surveillance of healthcare-associated infections
- Application to practice (application of interventions to control MDROs in health care settings, transparent reporting of outbreaks and interventions)
The programme had been cross referenced against the framework for Public Health Competencies (2008) and The European Core Curriculum for Training for Infection Control Practitioners (2008). These consisted of a range of knowledge and competency levels which assimilate senior public health and infection control specialists. The course was delivered in English and was carried out over three days.
The target audience included health care professionals with current or future responsibility for prevention and control of healthcare-associated infections working at national or sub-national level, i,e. mid-career professionals involved in programmes to prevent healthcare-associated infections at hospital level:
- Infection control practitioners/infection preventionists;
- Hospital physicians/specialist physicians;
- Hospital epidemiologists;
- Clinical microbiologists;
- Public health microbiologists.
The participants were experts from EU member states (MS), the three other EEA countries designated by their respective country authorities. All costs incurred by the participants were covered, in accordance with the ECDC rules.