Education Drive-AMS: data-driven Antimicrobial Stewardship

Program

The combined education/implementation program consists of a pre-course, a 4-day course and a post-course expert consultancy support for implementation of your project developed during the course.
Depending on availability of data for your hospital, the program can be expanded with pre-course (baseline) and post-course (follow-up) measurement of antibiotic use.

Click here to enlarge the infographic.

Learning objectives of the course

Learning objectives

• to understand the problems of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) across global, national and local levels;
• to understand and be able to describe the core elements of antimicrobial stewardship;
• to understand how to develop local/national guidelines for appropriate antibiotic use, based on international guidelines and local/national resistance levels;
• to be aware of the main barriers to the development of an Antimicrobial Stewardship Program, and to be able to apply improvement strategies to address these;
• to be able to convey the knowledge and skills needed for Antimicrobial Stewardship to both clinical and management teams in hospitals;
• to have decided next steps to take to improve antibiotic use/implement antibiotic stewardship in my health care setting/country.

Our philosophy

The drive-AMS is a data-driven, step-wise approach to Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) that combines measurement with behavioral change to reduce inappropriate antimicrobial use and combat antibiotic resistance. It’s a multi-faceted program that includes training teams from healthcare facilities, using tools like the Global-PPS or other metrics to monitor antibiotic use and identify prescribing gaps, and providing pragmatic knowledge and skills on behaviour sciences and how to change behaviour. In addition, it provides expert support for implementing AMS interventions through the SPICE program. This approach is intended to foster sustainable, long-term capacity for AMS in hospitals by using evidence to guide behavior change.

Read more about the drive-AMS philosophy here.

Drive-AMS in EU

• Objectives

  The general objective of the drive-AMS project is to reduce inappropriate antimicrobial use resulting in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in healthcare (hospital and long-term care) facilities through supporting effective implementation of Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) interventions using a step-wise behavioural change approach. This objective will contribute to the European and national targets for reducing inappropriate antimicrobial use and tackling AMR.

  The specific objectives are:

  • Build capacity for AMS implementation by training national experts (Train-the-trainer approach) using the AMS behavioural approach and establishing four national hubs for capacity building in AMS, resulting in at least 30 trained national trainers. 
  • Enable regular performance of Global-PPS at facility level, to inform AMS teams on the prevalence and quality of antimicrobial prescribing, driving development of targeted AMS interventions; provide specific skills for conducting and analysing a PPS, in at least 64 facilities.
  • Provide training and expert consultancy based on the Global-PPS real-time feedback reporting and the DRIVE-AMS course, tailor-made to country-specific health systems and context to at least 256 persons in 64 facilities.
  • Empower professionals, by establishing a European registry for expert consultancy and an AMS Alumni Support Network for continuous support between healthcare facilities and cross-collaboration of countries, with over 300 professionals from at least 20 EU member states.

• Partners

  The drive-AMS consortium comprises higher-education institutions from six EU member states: Radboudumc (the Netherlands), as the main applicant and five partners: University of Antwerp (Belgium) as knowledge partner, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece), Higienos Institutas (Lithuania), Centro Hospitalar Universitário de São João (Portugal), and Universitatea de Medicina si Farmacie Iuliu Hatieganu Cluj-Napoca (Romania) as implementing partners.

• Locations

  The Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, Lithuania, Portugal, Romania

• Activities

  Activities are envisaged through 6 work packages:

  • WP 1: Project management and coordination 
  • WP 2: Measurement and surveillance skills
  • WP 3: Capacity building for contextualized AMS implementation course in beneficiary countries
  • WP 4: Upscaling expertise and skillset for contextualized AMS implementation 
  • WP 5: Provision of post-course implementation support
  • WP 6: AMS Alumni Support Network 
     

• Duration

  1 November 2022 – 31 October 2025

• Funding

  Total budget: 1,267,464.22 EUR
  drive-AMS is co-funded by the European Health and Digital Executive Agency through EU4H programme under grant agreement No 101079985

Drive-AMS in Low- and Middle Income Countries

• Objectives

  Despite limited resources, most LMICs are trying to address AMR in the health sector through evidence-based strategies such as setting up of antimicrobial stewardship programs (AMS). 
  Setting up sustainable AMS programs requires good training on determinants of antibiotic use and behaviour change techniques, practical skills on how to implement AMS interventions and expert support for successful implementation of chosen interventions.

  The overall aim of the drive-AMS LMICs project is to ensure sustainable and long-term capacity in LMICs for Antimicrobial Stewardship in human health with a One-Health perspective and applicability.

  The AMS masterclass & SPICE expert consultancy (drive-AMS) is an implementation program with expert consultancy support through the Specialized Programme on Infectious Disease Care Everywhere (SPICE) expert registry. The goal of drive-AMS LMICs is to guide professionals and policy makers through the process of developing and implementing a successful AMS program in their hospital, healthcare system, region or country.
   

• Partners

  International Centre for Antimicrobial Solutions (ICARS)

• Locations

  The Netherlands, Tanzania, Zambia, Kenya

• Activities

  This project aims to provide sustainable solutions through following activities:

  • Providing training and teaching tools adapted to the LMICs context, transposing best practices from resource-rich to resource-constrained settings for AMS;
  • Building sustainable in-country capacity for delivery of contextualized courses in AMS, that are accredited, of high quality and affordable for the national economy and circumstances;
  • Ensuring structured and cost-effective expert support for implementation of AMS through building registry of existing experts in the country and region in specific areas of AMS (SPICE LMICs registry).

• Duration

  1 January 2023 – 31 December 2025

• Funding

  Total budget: 450,000 EUR
  ICARS funding: 300,000 EUR
  Radboudumc finding: 150,000 EUR

Masterclass: IPC-track

• Objectives

  We are currently preparing the integration of an Infection Prevention and Control (IPC)-track within the Antimicrobial Stewardship Masterclass program. 
  To prevent the development and spread of resistant pathogens in healthcare settings, antimicrobial stewardship and infection prevention & control go hand-in-hand. Therefore, an IPC-track will be integrated into this Masterclass program. The target audience for this track consists of medical doctors, nurses, and IPC-experts working in a hospital setting, who have affinity and/or responsibility for Infection Prevention and Control at their workplace.
   

• Partners

  TBA

• Locations

  The tryout was conducted in Suriname in 2022, drawing lessons for the most optimal approach to integrating the IPC-track into the AMS masterclass & expert consultancy program.

• Funding

  Own funding

ESCMID-AMS Certificate program Basic course

• Partners

  ESCMID-AMS Certificate is organized by ESCMID, combining expertise from courses delivered by different academic and research institutions from

  Its Secretariat is hosted by the AMS Program at Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.

• Program

  Click here to view the program.

• Locations

  Various locations across Europe, both on site as well as online.

• Duration

  2-year program

• More information

  ESCMID: AMS Certificate Programme

Drive-AMS Executive Course Data-driven Antimicrobial Stewardship

• About the program

  The Drive-AMS Executive Course is an intensive, practice-oriented program that equips healthcare professionals and policy makers with the knowledge, tools, and skills to develop and implement effective Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) programs - in their hospital, region, or country. 

  Drive-AMS is grounded in a unique combination of data-driven measurement, behavioral science, and real-world implementation expertise. Participants move through a structured learning journey ensuring that insights translate into lasting change on the ground. 

  Drive-AMS has a proven track record across Europe, Africa, and beyond, in bringing together world-leading faculty and a global alumni network to build sustainable stewardship capacity where it matters most.

• Location

  Hotel van der Valk in Nijmegen, The Netherlands.

• Program

  • 3 precourse learning elements (online) and 5 immersive days (in person).
  • Hands-on workshops, simulations, peer learning, individual coaching and state of the art lectures.
  • Drive AMS International Expert faculty.
  • Optional post-course support via online mentoring or a publication pathway.
  • Every day ends with a key note lecture by an established AMS expert in the field.

  See the full program here.

• Duration

  1 March 2027 - 5 March 2027

• Funding

  Own funding

• Register

  You can register for this course via this website.

• More information

  Drive AMS Executive Masterclass