Antibiotic stewardship for nurses: Using e-learning modules to bridge the education gap

OBJECTIVE: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has called for an interdisciplinary approach to antibiotic stewardship implementation that includes front-line nurses. The literature to date has identified key factors preventing uptake by nurses: lack of education, poor communication among providers, and unit culture. Three e-learning modules were developed to address the nurses’ education regarding the roles nurses play in antibiotic stewardship, antibiotic resistance, allergy assessment, medication side effects and interactions, pharmacokinetics–pharmacodynamics, culture interpretation, specimen collection, and the antibiogram. A survey was used to assess whether nurses felt more prepared to participate after finishing the modules. SETTING: Front-line staff nurses in acute care were assigned e-learning modules as part of their pharmacy’s introduction of an antibiotic stewardship program for nurses. METHODS: Nurses viewed the modules and completed a survey designed to rank their usefulness and to assess their attitudes. RESULTS: Overall, 81% of nurses felt that they should be part of the antibiotic stewardship team. After completing the modules, 72% felt more empowered to participate in stewardship discussions and an additional 23% requested more education. Also, 97% felt that the information they learned could be utilized in everyday work regardless of the new program. The most cited barriers to stewardship activities were lack of education (45%) and hospital and/or unit culture (13%). CONCLUSION: Education and culture need to be addressed to overcome the barriers to nurses’ involvement in antimicrobial stewardship. E-learning can provide a simple and effective first step to educate nurses, with minimal time investment.