Antimicrobial Stewardship Program in Combating Antimicrobial Resistance – With a Student’s Perspective

The Silent Awakening On an intuitive morning, my passive knowledge regarding antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs (AMSPs) was awakened by attending an SDL session held at my medical college. The case studies presented during the SDL played a crucial role in linking common, widespread habits of inappropriate antimicrobial use to the rising AMR crisis, which, until then, had only been a theoretical concept in the books for me. It is an evident fact that evolution is a fundamental law of nature, while the evolution of human beings has largely been beneficial, the evolutionary AMR of microorganisms has posed serious threats to human health, treatment plans, morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. Statistically, 1.27 million deaths were caused in 2019 due to bacterial AMR globally, and 5 million deaths were caused due to drug-resistant infections.[1] It forecasts a catastrophic future with an estimate of 39 million deaths between 2025 and 2050 attributed to AMR.[2] In response, AMSPs have emerged as the need of the hour to combat AMR, also known as “Silent Pandemic.” Prescribing for Purpose: The Heart of Stewardship AMSP is a systematic effort to optimize antimicrobial use to improve patient outcomes and reduce selection pressure driving resistance simultaneously. Under this program, healthcare professionals are educated to adhere to evidence-based guidelines for prescribing and administering these medications along with establishing a balance between immediate therapeutic needs and long-term goals of resistance prevention. The “5 Rights”–Right Drug, Right Patient, Right Time, Right Route, and Right Dose encapsulate the essence of AMSP.[3] A distinct and vital role is played by each member in the AMSP team; physicians ensure evidence-based prescribing, pharmacists assess the prescriptions for appropriateness, and microbiologists monitor AMR patterns in the hospital. Progressing ahead, educating healthcare professionals via public awareness campaigns, such as the World AMR Awareness Week, organized by WHO annually, is indeed a novel approach to spread awareness. Along current actions, we need to take measurable decisions to shape our future accordingly in lieu of AMR. This can be aided by Electronic Health Records and personalized antimicrobial therapy based on patient-specific resistance profiles. Furthermore, the “One Health” approach takes into account issues of human, animal, and environmental health together. Students’ Role: A Call to Action – Roles beyond Classroom As medical students, we can outreach the community and engage with individuals to reiterate the importance of using antimicrobials wisely. This includes suggesting people to take professional medical advice before consuming any antimicrobial indiscriminately. In addition, the community needs to be made aware that antibiotics must be consumed as prescribed and never left before course completion. This holds immense importance as incomplete exposure of antimicrobials to bacteria can lead to the survival of bacteria and resistance development. Sensitizing people about AMR and AMSP, we can help these life-saving drugs, called magic bullets, to preserve their effectiveness. Finally, such beneficial programs would ensure that antibiotics continue to act as a boon over a bane for us. Financial support and sponsorship Nil. Conflicts of interest There are no conflicts of interest.