The antimicrobial stewardship research programme has an overarching aim of optimising antimicrobial use in patients and helping to control the development and spread of multidrug-resistant organisms in healthcare facilities and beyond in Vietnam and Asia.
The objectives include:
These initiatives form a vital part of our concerted effort to counteract AMR, preserve the effectiveness of antimicrobial drugs, and ensure the best outcomes for patients.
Qualitative and mixed-methods studies to understand the barriers and challenges for implementing interventions, evaluate the impact, and perform an economic evaluation of antimicrobial stewardship in Vietnam (27HN, 34HN, 40HN, 46HN)
Burden of disease studies evaluating the attributable mortality and morbidity of antimicrobial resistance in patients and risks of transmission in healthcare facilities and beyond (carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales and Gram-negative bacteria, 34HN and 58HN)
Implementation research on antimicrobial stewardship programmes with participatory action and multidisciplinary frameworks focusing on the current needs and gaps in Vietnam: four implementation research projects have been conducted targeting inpatients of three provincial and 6 district hospitals in Nam Dinh, Phu Tho, Hai Phong, Dong Thap and outpatients of three hospitals in Dong Thap, Quang Ninh, and Hanoi since 2019 (32HN, 30HN, 47HN, 47HNa)
Capacity building for research teams at OUCRU and at hospital partners: sending staff to training courses on antimicrobial stewardship overseas (United States, Singapore, Netherlands) and hands-on training periods and observership at hospital partners with effective programmes (Hospital for Tropical Diseases HCMC, Viet Tiep Hospital), training to healthcare professionals by leading experts in infectious disease, clinical pharmacy and clinical microbiology from national hospitals and universities in Vietnam.
Collaboration with international and national organisations and experts in antimicrobial stewardship implementation and antimicrobial resistance research: collaboration with the Duke Center for Antimicrobial Stewardship and Infection Prevention in research studies (32HN, 46HN), Professor Direk Limmathurotsakul microbiology lab at Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit (MORU), Technical Advisory Group under US CDC coordination in the development of context-specific antimicrobial stewardship assessment tools for healthcare facilities, World Health Organization Vietnam, National Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Hanoi University of Pharmacy…
Policy and public engagement activities through workshops and communication materials with the target audiences: two national-level workshops have been organised (2018 and 2023) on antimicrobial stewardship implementation, and one public engagement seed funding has been awarded to develop materials for engagement