Prevention and Control of Multidrug-resistant organisms

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been detected in all parts of the world. It is currently one of the greatest challenges to global public health. (WHO 2014).It has been estimated that failure to address the problem globally could result in 10 million deaths by 2050. Two key areas which are essential for prevention and control of MDROs in Health care facilities are: (i) Effective implementation of an antibiotic stewardship programme to prevent the emergence of resistant microorganisms (ii) Implementation of infection control measures. Inappropriate and indiscriminate use of antibiotics exerts selective pressure and lead to the emergence of multidrugresistant organisms. Narrow spectrum antibiotics should be used as a first line therapy based on local antibiotic susceptibility data. Infection prevention and control guidelines must be developed for prevention and control of MDROs. It should include risk assessment and triage so that known or suspected cases are promptly identified, segregated and isolated without dely. Standard precautions like hand hygiene is one of the most important interventions to prevent cross infections and this must be rigorously enforced as per WHO 5 moments of hand hygiene. Surveillance of MDROs must be done to monitor the incidence and epidemiologic trends of various MDROs over time.

Author(s): Dechen C. Tsering

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