MORE THAN 4,000 HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS WILL LEARN TO FIGHT ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE (AMR)

• The AMR-EDUCare project will create specific AMR training for healthcare professionals in 6 EU countries (Spain, Lithuania, Portugal, Hungary, Greece and Italy)
• 35,000 Europeans die every year due to antimicrobial resistance

Brussels, March 2023

Over 4,000 health professionals will be trained to fight AMR in their healthcare facilities between March 2023 and October 2025. This training, the first of its kind, will analyse seven EU countries’ specific needs for AMR learning resources and develop tailored training.

AMR is a critical public health threat: according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) 35,000 Europeans die each year from common, previously treatable infections because bacteria have become resistant to treatment. AMR develops when bacteria adapt to antimicrobials – commonly antibiotics. While it is a natural process, the misuse and overuse of antimicrobials are dangerously accelerating resistance.

With the coordination of Health Care Without Harm (HCWH) Europe, universities, research institutes, and national health professional associations from nine European countries have formed the AMR EDUCare project – funded by the EU4Health Programme – to develop educational materials for health professionals to reduce the spread of AMR.

The AMR EDUCare training will expand doctors’ antibiotic prescription knowledge and improve their communication skills to better manage patient expectations regarding antimicrobial prescription.

The project reflects the WHO’s ‘One Health’ approach and the training will train and improve health management professionals on processes and techniques that better reduce and manage antimicrobial waste.

A dedicated training module will also be developed for community pharmacists and nurses who may not prescribe, but they have a strong influence on patients’ antibiotic consumption patterns. This specific module will include scientific and medical information related to antibiotic treatments, appropriate use of antibiotics, and communication tools on how to communicate effectively with patients and their relatives.

These training materials will be publicly available for any interested health professional on an online digital education platform, and they will also enrich in-person training courses in various European countries.

Read more on this breakthrough project: www.amreducare.eu

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