Regional Supervision of Healthcare Institutions With a Focus on Antimicrobial Resistance

Abstract

Background: Resistance to antibiotic drugs, also called antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a serious threat to (public) health. Surveillance reports throughout the world show that formation and spread of highly resistant microorganisms (HRMOs) continues to be substantial. In The Netherlands, 10 regional collaborative networks on AMR have been established among healthcare institutions to mitigate the existing risks concerning HRMO by collaborative actions in antibiotic stewardship and infection prevention. Objective: We sought to determine whether the healthcare institutions in one of the regional collaborative networks in The Netherlands contribute adequately to reducing the risks of formation and/or spread of HRMO. Methods: The Health and Youth Care Inspectorate in The Netherlands visited 37 institutions in the region of Limburg (the southern province). The following healthcare sectors were included: hospitals (n = 5), rehabilitation clinics (n = 2), long-term care facilities (n = 5), homecare institutions (n = 4), mental healthcare institutions (n = 2), dental care clinics (n = 4), general practitioners (GPs; n = 10), municipal health services (n = 2) and healthcare facilities for mentally disabled people (n = 3). In each visit, 5 topics were addressed: antibiotic policy, infection prevention, information transfer, governance and collaboration in the region. Results and Conclusions: In general, the healthcare institutions had an adequate to good score. Good results were seen in antibiotic policy (ie, the use of diagnostic tools to avoid the use of antibiotics); information transfer among GPs and in homecare institutions; and infection prevention in homecare institutions and dental care clinics. Exceptions with inadequate scores were observed in several areas: absence of prescription guidance specifically for antibiotics in various sectors; infection prevention among GPs, and dental care clinics. In 4 cases (ie, 3 GPs and 1 dental care clinic), we stopped using the autoclave because of lack of proof of proper maintenance.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None