AMS Education Study
Creating a National Antimicrobial Stewardship Education Framework for Scotland: A Delphi Study
Project Team
Chief Investigator: Dr Valerie Ness
Dates: Ongoing
Background
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global health concern. Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) is an approach which promotes and monitors the judicious use of antimicrobials to preserve their future effectiveness. Key to the containment of AMR is the education of healthcare professionals on AMS; however, there is variability in the quality and coverage of education and training of healthcare professionals in relation to AMS.
The Scottish Government have therefore commissioned NHS Education for Scotland (NES) to develop a generalist AMS Education Framework for Scotland to provide a reference for healthcare professionals to help ensure that education and training equips healthcare workers with the requisite competencies to address AMR. This framework will be based on AMS competencies. Competency frameworks for the education of healthcare workers (HCWs) on AMR and infection prevention and control already exist, however, there are many of them and not all are generalise therefore NES have then commissioned GCU to design and implement a Delphi study to gain consensus on which competencies to include in this framework.
Aim
This study aims to gain consensus on the AMS educational competencies which should be included in a national educational framework for AMS.
Objectives
- To explore the literature to find competency frameworks already in existence.
- To use these frameworks to develop an initial list of competencies.
- To gain consensus from a group of experts on which competencies to include in a national framework using a modified Delphi approach.
- To use these findings to develop a national educational framework.
Methodology
A literature review exploring these pre-existing frameworks will be undertaken to inform the design of this study. The study will then adopt a modified Delphi study design to collect data from participants within their domain of expertise with the aim of achieving consensus. A comprehensive list of competencies, informed by the already available competency frameworks, will make up the first round survey. Data will be collected via an online survey. Participants will be asked to complete the online questionnaire twice or three times, depending on the degree of consensus.
