Denia Hospital Trains Professionals in Rational Antibiotic Use

Denia Hospital has organised Antimicrobial Therapy training to update the knowledge and skills of all its professionals in the rational use of antibiotics to ensure effective treatments and contribute to the fight against microbial resistance. Read more

The training is driven by the PROA team (Antimicrobial Use Optimisation Programme) at the hospital, and the inaugural event was led by the Health Department Manager of Denia, Juan Puig, who emphasised the importance of such training, stating, "Antimicrobial resistance is one of the greatest threats to public health worldwide. It is our duty to be well-versed in this area and to know all available tools to effectively combat it."

The training, which will take place over four sessions in April and May, is aimed at doctors, nurses, auxiliary nursing care technicians (TCAE), and resident doctors and nurses (MIR and EIR).

The programme, which has a practical approach and is based on clinical cases, covers everything from the principles of antimicrobial therapy to the management of specific infections. Topics include interpreting antibiograms, optimising treatments for community and hospital-acquired pneumonia, managing septic shock and bacteraemia, infections in hospitalised patients, and applying rapid diagnostic techniques in molecular microbiology.

The teaching team is multidisciplinary, comprising specialists from Pharmacy, Microbiology, Anaesthesia and Resuscitation, Internal Medicine, Emergency, Paediatrics, Preventive Medicine, and Primary Care. One of the course's most innovative aspects is the inclusion of practical workshops where attendees can apply the knowledge acquired in real clinical cases.

According to the Health Department, Denia Hospital is in the process of obtaining Advanced PROA certification, placing it alongside major Spanish reference centres such as La Vall d'Hebron in Barcelona and the University Complex of Salamanca.

The Advanced certification for a PROA team in a hospital is part of the programme promoted by the National Plan against Antibiotic Resistance (PRAN) and recognises hospitals that meet stringent quality standards in antimicrobial management.

These criteria range from having a multidisciplinary PROA team coordinated with various clinical services to protocolising and optimising antibiotic use, applying evidence-based protocols, or implementing treatment review strategies.

These centres also apply electronic assisted prescription systems and monitor antibiotic consumption. Similarly, they use indicators to measure the effectiveness of PROA interventions and their impact on reducing bacterial resistance.