Stakeholder actions to implement the EU guidelines on prudent use of antimicrobials in human health

Deadline: Sep 10, 2019  
CALL EXPIRED

Target groups of this topic are professional organisations and other stakeholders, such as healthcare systems and institutions

Background and purpose of the call:

The proposed action should consider activities focused on the implementation of the EU guidelines on the prudent use of antimicrobials in human health, which were published by the Commission in June 2017[1]. These Guidelines aim to support a variety of key stakeholders and public health authorities in Member States in reducing unnecessary antibiotic use and combatting AMR. While the Guidelines have been well received further action is needed to facilitate and encourage stakeholders to take them forward and implement them.

The European One-health Action Plan against Antimicrobial Resistance COM(2017)339

commits the Commission to engage with and support collaboration among key stakeholders in the human health, animal health, food, water and environmental sectors to encourage the responsible use of antimicrobials in the healthcare sector.

The levels and trends of resistant infections in the EU are still not yet improving. This action is thus urgent to engage stakeholders more actively as one of the contributions to reducing the spread of AMR, namely the need to ensure more prudent use of antibiotics and foster antibiotic stewardship.

Three out of the four key priorities of the Third EU Health Programme (2014-2020) are directly related to this action. The most relevant is the fourth priority on facilitating access to better and safer healthcare for citizens, which calls for ‘Measures to prevent antimicrobial resistance and control healthcare-associated infections’. Also relevant is the Programme priorities to ‘Contribute to innovative, efficient and sustainable health systems’ and ‘Protect citizens from serious cross-border health threats’.

The project(s) aims to involve European level stakeholders to promote, disseminate and directly apply the EU guidelines on the prudent use of antimicrobials in human health among the target groups identified in the guidelines, i.e., prescribers (e.g. doctors and hospital clinicians), pharmacists, nurses, infectious disease specialists and those responsible for the management of health systems.

This proposal is for incentive measures to combat serious cross border threats to health as set out in TFEU Article 168 and enabled via the EU Health Programme Regulation.

This project(s) will support chiefly the implementation of EU legislation, namely Decision (EU) 1082/2013, which includes actions to support and coordinate response on serious cross-border health threats including AMR.

The project(s) will contribute towards the key performance indicators of Directorate-General health and Food Safety, as set out in its Strategic Plan, namely to reduce antibiotic consumption in human health in the EU by 30% by 2020.

Objectives pursued and expected results:

The main objectives of the present call for projects (stakeholders actions) are focused on the implementation of the EU guidelines on prudent use of antimicrobials in human health:

• to raise awareness and foster the direct application of the EU guidelines on the prudent use of antimicrobials by healthcare practitioners and members of the stakeholder organisations;
• to change practices on antimicrobial prescription and dispensing amongst members of the stakeholder organisations involved (in the project) in the direction of compliance with the guidelines;
• to reduce of inappropriate use of antimicrobials in human health.

Description of the activities to be funded under the call for proposals:

The activities should enable stakeholder organisations to take further action on AMR within the framework of the EU guidelines on prudent use of antimicrobials in human health. The action will engage with professional groups and settings which require specific attention and develop and implement packages of interventions to implement the guidelines adapted to the needs of the job roles and settings (e.g. hospital, primary care long term care) involved. Deliverables are expected to include adaptations of the guidelines to the local situation, training packages, clinical audit tools, evaluation tools, methods for assessing outcome indicators, tools and methods for providing positive and negative feedback to practitioners and incentive schemes.

The organisations intending to participate in a project should include, but are not restricted to professional associations and scientific societies relevant for the target groups identified in the guidelines – including prescribers (e.g. doctors and other clinicians), pharmacists, nurses, infectious disease specialists and those responsible for the management of health systems.

The amount is intended to either support either 1 large project with 20-30 partners or 2 or more smaller projects with 5-19 partners.

Project teams should include at least one European umbrella organisation covering a significant part of the health workforce. Ideally partner organisations should include several such organisations and also include partners in individual EU Member States and other countries participating in the EU 3rd Health Programme.

Expected impact:

The expected outputs are

• Adaptation of guidelines to the local situation;
• Trainings,
• Workshops,
• Clinical audit tools,
• Evaluation tools,
• Tools and methods for providing feedback to practitioners and incentive schemes.

The projects(s)' activities should complement and be synergistic with the Joint Action on Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare Associated Infection (JAMRAI) (2017-2020)[2].

For more information about European Reference Networks, see the website of the Directorate General for Health and Food Safety on Anitmicrobial Resistance[3].