Dear nurse colleagues,

The Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) is conducting an electronic survey to gain nurses’ input into the important issue of nurses’ role in Antimicrobial Stewardship.  The survey takes approximately 20 minutes to complete, is voluntary and anonymous. The survey can be accessed at this link https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/YPRJ2R3 until Friday, June 30^th, 2023 at 1600 ET.

Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) refers to how the appropriate use of antimicrobials (including antibiotics) can maximize both their current and future effectiveness.  AMS embodies an organizational or system-wide approach to promoting and monitoring judicious use of antimicrobials to slow the spread of antimicrobial resistance and preserve their future efficacy. With the global context of the pandemic, rising antimicrobial resistance, and few new agents in development, Antimicrobial Stewardship programs and approaches are more important than ever to ensure the continued effectiveness of available antimicrobials. 

Effective Antimicrobial Stewardship requires interdisciplinary team involvement and cooperation.  However, the nurse and nurse prescriber role in AMS requires further definition and clarity to maximize nursing’s contributions to this area.

The goal of this survey is to gain an understanding of the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that Canadian nurses and nurse prescribers require to actively promote and participate in Antimicrobial Stewardship within their practice setting. Reponses will be used to develop national Antimicrobial Stewardship competencies for Canadian nurses and nurse prescribers across varied practice settings.

Thank you for your consideration and input.

Sincerely,

The CNA Antimicrobial Stewardship Competencies for Nurses Project Team