Antimicrobial stewardship aims to improve patient outcomes and safety, and reduce spread of resistance and healthcare costs.
The CaSAMS project is a partnership between Ugandan and UK institutions to establish the antimicrobial stewardship committee at Jinja regional referral hospital, Uganda, and strengthen its capacity to optimise antimicrobial treatment, and clinical outcomes, and infection prevention and control at patient, health facility and health system levels. The aims of antimicrobial stewardship are to improve patient outcomes and safety, and reduce spread of resistance and healthcare costs.
The project is running for one year to April 2020, and involves a needs assessment, development and implementation of activities to support the Antimicrobial Stewardship Committee at Jinja Hospital, and evaluation of the progress and impacts of these activities.
Clare
Chandler
Professor of Medical Anthropology
Clare is a professor of Medical Anthropology, Director of the AMR Centre and leads the anthropology of AMR research group. Clare has designed and evaluated complex interventions to improve health worker prescribing practices across a range of health services settings in LMICs, including in Ugandan health centres and drug shops. Clare’s is PI for a number of research projects in Uganda on antimicrobial resistance, exploring why we are so reliant on antimicrobials, and awareness of AMR and providing essential information for designing effective interventions for safe reduction in use.
Sarah is a clinical epidemiologist with specialist training in infectious disease and global public health. Sarah has conducted research on malaria since 1999, and is currently based in Uganda with the Infectious Diseases Research Collaboration supporting in the coordination of this project in Uganda.
Michael Brown
Consultant physician
Michael is a consultant physician working across infectious and general medical services as well as the ID liaison to the UCLH trust. Michael did a clinical research fellowship at MRC Uganda in 2000-3 and is a member of the UCLH antimicrobial stewardship committee. Michael has been active in co-writing antimicrobial guidelines, designing questionnaires on antimicrobials for medical staff, and postgraduate teaching on antibiotics, sepsis. Michael is also a senior lecturer at LSHTM.
Sarah Logan
Infectious diseases consultant
Sarah is an infectious diseases consultant and clinical lead for the Hospital of Tropical Diseases, UCLH. Sarah has designed, implemented and currently deliver several antibiotic stewardship initiatives at HTD/UCLH.
Ben Killingley
Consultant of infectious diseases
Ben is a consultant of infectious diseases and Clinical Lead of Acute Medicine, General Medicine at UCLH. Ben has completed a PhD investigating routes of influenza transmission and is a clinical lecturer at University College London, teaching as part of a Global Health course. His experience with regard to antibiotic stewardship activities include managing the outpatient antibiotic service, contributing to development of antimicrobial guidelines and Ben is on the AMS committee at UCLH.
Preet Panesar
Antimicrobial pharmacist
Preet is an antimicrobial pharmacist at the infectious diseases and General Medicine department at UCLH. Preet is the lead pharmacist for anti-infectives at UCLH and has over 16 years’ experience working in the specialty of antimicrobial stewardship. Preet set up and runs the Antimicrobial Stewardship Committee, acting as the professional secretary, which oversees all antimicrobial stewardship activities within UCLH.
Gabriel Pollara
Consultant in Infectious Diseases
Gabriel is a Consultant in Infectious Diseases and Clinical Lead for the Hospital for Tropical Diseases at UCLH. Gabriel has experience in conducting a study quantifying the impact and efficiency of our stewardship rounds.
Freddy Kitutu
Clinical pharmacist
Freddy is a clinical pharmacist and lecturer at Makerere University College of Health Science, Pharmacy Department. Freddy is also currently dean of the Health sciences and Pharmacy department. Freddy has experience teaching infectious disease therapeutics to undergraduate pharmacy and medical students in lectures and clinical ward rounds.
James Kapisi
Epidemiologist
James is an epidemiologist and study coordinator at the IDRC in Uganda. James is a member of the Ministry of Health Sub Committee on AMR surveillance. James has experience in working with 35 public health facilities to implement MOH’s ‘test, treat and track’ policy’ of antimalarial commodities. James also has experience in coordinating the Acute Febrile Illness project (AFI) in 6 reference hospitals.
Corina Weir
Teaching Fellow
Corina is a Teaching Fellow in Health Psychology in the Institute of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Aberdeen, British Psychological Society Chartered Psychologist and an HCPC registered Practitioner Health Psychologist. Corina is supporting the team as a behaviour change scientist, supporting in developing training and delivering training on behaviour change models.
Niall Anderson
Senior Research Fellow
Niall is a Senior Research Fellow in Health Psychology at UCL. Niall conducts research as a Behavioural Scientist within the multi-disciplinary and multi-organisational National Institute of Health Research. Niall supports as behavioural change scientist on the project, through this work with the Change Exchange programme.
This project is a partnership between Ugandan and UK institutions. The project is funded through the Commonwealth Partnerships for Antimicrobial Stewardship Scheme, which is funded by the UK Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) through the Fleming Fund for the benefit of the UK and partner country health sectors.
The partners involved in this partnership are:
- London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
- Infectious Diseases Research Collaboration
- University College London Hospital
- Manchester Change Exchange
- Jinja Referral hospital, Uganda
This project is a collaboration between London School of Hygiene and Topical Medicine (LSHTM), University College London Hospital (UCLH), The Change Exchange (TCE) and The Infectious Disease Research Collaboration Uganda (IDRC).
LSHTM
Clare Chandler is the principal investigator for this project and LSHTM works as the academic lead for this project.
UCLH
The project is working with a number of clinicians and pharmacists at UCLH who are supporting in sharing knowledge of AMS practices in the UK and in developing workshops/training on AMS at Jinja Hospital.
MISC
Two excellent behavioural scientists from the change exchange are working on this project to provide support on behaviour change models and approaches.
IDRC
IDRC are the in country lead for this project. Freddy is the project manager and James is supporting on monitoring and evaluation. The team are heading up all in country activities on this project, including conducting training at Jinja Hospital.
We completed our inception visit in August 2019, read more about it on the change exchange blog.