Dharura have harnessed the relationships we have with front line health facilities to work with Global Health Partnerships (formally THET) and the Commonwealth Pharmacists Association on a large-scale project to develop antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) practices in Northern Kenya.
This work includes surveys of infections and their treatment in hospital and clinic settings, while providing healthcare professional and public education around antimicrobial use and prescription. This will be aided further by the development of biograms, that the partnership supports, to identify local antibiotic resistance patterns.
Kenyan pharmacists and clinicians are offered the opportunity for reciprocal UK visits to aid practice development.
This work also encompasses “One Health” principles, acknowledging the intrinsic interaction between the health of humans, livestock and the environment they collectively inhabit.
Working in a multi-sectoral way, including healthcare workers and community members, is key in fighting AMR. As a great example, Health care professionals trained as AMS champions worked with the Laikipia County Veterinary to train Female Elders as AMR guardians. They then raised awareness within local communities, and wrote the One Kenya - One Health song (https://youtu.be/q-hSRPMc7qM) which has been released for the 2024 World AMR Awareness Week.
Antimicrobial Stewardship
The Antibiotics Stewardship project involved regular awareness sessions to health care workers and community members.
A work session in Leparua clinic (Lewa Wildlife Conservancy) to finalise a questionnaire, about antibiotics use, to the pastoral community members.
The microbiologist is developing a biogram to capture the scale of antibiotic resistance in the area, and provide data to update guidelines for prescribers.
AMS champions interviewed pastoral community members to understand their knowledge, beliefs and practices around the use of antibiotics in animals and humans.
Preventing AMR together
The Laikipia County veterinarian raises awareness on the use of antibiotics for animals.
Point-Prevalence surveys allow AMR champions to capture the practices of antibiotics prescription in hospitals and rural clinics.
The Nanyuki team has been selected to present abstracts and share learning at several national and international conferences, here at the International Pharmacist Conference in Mombasa, June 24.