intervention to impact E.coli rates and limit Antimicrobial Resistance

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    A Stepped Wedge Intervention to impact E.coli rates and limit antimicrobial resistance

  • IRAS ID

    259089

  • Contact name

    John Gammon

  • Contact email

    j.gammon@swansea.ac.uk

  • Sponsor organisation

    Swansea University

  • Duration of Study in the UK

    2 years, 11 months, 27 days

  • Research summary

    What we know:
    Antibiotic resistance (ABR)is a growing threat to public health that presents real risk of harm or death within and outside healthcare. Research shows that some patients believe they have no role in ABR and have no power to affect it. However, patients affect ABR in two ways: by influencing prescribing practice, and failure to adhere to prescribed dosages/courses.
    There has been some high-profile success in reducing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the UK, a specific area of concern to public health is E. coli. E. coli is the most prevalent AMR microorganism found in hospitals with rates rising each year.

    What we do not know:
    Why E. coli rates continue to rise each year. The risk factors that put patients at risk of acquiring an E. coli infection. Would a focused local non-clinical intervention impact E. coli rates and patient AMR ownership.

    What we will do:
    We will be creating an E. coli risk assessment for Hywel Dda university health board patients to gain a better understanding of who is at risk to enable identification of ways to target these at-risk groups. A non-clinical intervention using educational information on AMR will then be provided to those at a higher risk of E. coli infection and other patients who share the same ward.
    We will compare E. coli incidence rates before, during and after the educational intervention.
    We will be interviewing patients who have been recently discharged from secondary care to gain their understanding of AMR. To establish if an educational intervention increases patient AMR ownership and impacts associated E. coli rates.

  • REC name

    East Midlands - Derby Research Ethics Committee

  • REC reference

    19/EM/0127

  • Date of REC Opinion

    20 May 2019

  • REC opinion

    Further Information Favourable Opinion