The pursuit of healthier communities remains an agenda for most global healthcare systems and governments. Care organizations and caregivers play a critical role in this regard. Their role includes but is not limited to identifying high-risk communities and implementing health promotion plans for these communities. The dynamicity of the healthcare landscape sometimes presents management challenges. Lately, the global healthcare landscape has witnessed multiple shocks in its operationalization. The emergence of infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance, and the growing prevalence of non-communicable diseases are some global population health issues that healthcare systems are grappling with. This paper details antimicrobial resistance as a population health problem with an emphasis on leadership, collaboration, communication, change management, and policy considerations.
Antibiotics have highlighted global healthcare provision and disease management since their advent. Antibiotic resistance and recognition of issues surrounding antibiotics have been present since their introduction in the clinical management of infectious diseases. It is slowly gaining recognition as one of the global health concerns. WHO asserts that antibiotic resistance is steadily rising to critically high levels across the globe as new resistance mechanisms continue to emerge and spread. This threatens the effectiveness of infectious disease management. In the U.S. alone, more than 2.8 million cases of antibiotic resistance are documented yearly. Additionally, over 35,000 Americans die every year from antibiotic-resistant strains (Dadgostar, 2019). These grime statistics highlight the need to address this population health issue.
Past global efforts to combat this threat focused on developing newer agents through research and innovations to overcome emerging patterns of bacterial resistance. Dadgostar (2019)asserts that the recently witnessed growth in the prevalence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci and methicillin-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus pointed to the limitless patterns of bacterial resistance mechanisms casting the burden of addressing antibiotic resistance on antimicrobial stewardship. Medical professionals and communities need to work concertedly to combat this risk. This practicum intends to work with healthcare providers and patients at high risk of being infected with antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria, such as hospitalized patients, toward antibiotic stewardship.
The fight against antibiotic resistance draws caregivers from different cadres and communities. Nurses being integral to multidisciplinary healthcare teams is valuable in this regard. This is because they can leverage their knowledge and position in healthcare to effect positive changes that promote antibiotic stewardship. Baccalaureate nursing equips nurses with the prerequisite skills in nursing leadership and collaborative skills necessary to effect positive healthcare changes. This is pivotal in health promotion campaigns that seek to create better antibiotic stewards.
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