Antimicrobial Stewardship Program - Education and Research

Education

Education is a vital part of a successful antimicrobial stewardship program. Members of our team are able to provide educational sessions to students (K-12, post-secondary), the general public, and health-care workers upon request. Please reach out to us if you would like to schedule a presentation on an antimicrobial stewardship topic of interest.

Research

Research drives innovation. The Antimicrobial Stewardship Program is committed to discovering new and better ways to promote the best patient outcomes with respect to antimicrobial use and to share our findings with other health-care providers, researchers, and the general public.

Our multidisciplinary team uses a broad range of research techniques, including qualitative and quantitative research methods, quality improvement methods, implementation science, and behavioural science.

We recognize that collaboration is important for a successful research program and we continuously seek connections with other researchers and clinicians for projects of varying complexity. We welcome students and learners of all levels and backgrounds and involve them in our research. We strive to involve patient partners in our projects to ensure that our research activities are patient-oriented.

Publications

• Vanstone JR, Patel S, Berry W, Degelman ML, Hanson C, Phillips C, Parker R. Using audit and feedback to encourage primary healthcare prescribers to record indications for antimicrobial prescriptions: a quality improvement initiative. BMJ Open Quality 2022;11:e001760. doi:10.1136/bmjoq-2021-001760
• Wade-Cummings M, Mailman JF, Degelman, ML, Phillips C, Vanstone JR. Identification of Staphylococci by Polymerase Chain Reaction Directly from a Positive Blood Culture and Effect on Patient Care. Can J Hosp Pharm. 2021;74(1):43-9. doi:10.4212/cjhp.v74i1.3039
• Lee C, Jafari M, Brownbridge R, Phillips C, Vanstone JR.  The viral prescription pad - a mixed methods study to determine the need for and utility of an educational tool for antimicrobial stewardship in primary health care.  BMC Family Practice 2020 (21):42 doi:10.1186/s12875-020-01114-z
• Pflanzner S, Phillips C, Mailman J, Vanstone JR. AMS in the ICU: empiric therapy and adherence to guidelines for pneumonia. BMJ Open Quality 2019;8:e000554. doi:10.1136/bmjoq-2018-000554
• Evans B, Kosar J, Peermohamed S. Attitudes and Perceptions amongst Critical Care Physicians towards Handshake Antimicrobial Stewardship Rounds. Cureus 2019;11(12): e6419. doi:10.7759/cureus.6419
• Lee C, Phillips C, Vanstone JR. Educational intervention to reduce treatment of asymptomatic bacteriuria in long-term care. BMJ Open Quality 2018;7:e000483. doi:10.1136/bmjoq-2018-000483