Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) represents a major health and socioeconomic threat, with the potential for devastating consequences to the health of millions of people globally if concrete steps are not taken to address it. The appropriate use of antimicrobial medicines for preventive and curative measures is vital to ensure continued success with common and complex medical interventions, and to slow or reverse the progress of resistance. Since the adoption of the WHO Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance by Member States in May 2015, remarkable progress has been made by all stakeholders to ensure that AMR is getting the attention it deserves and is a priority on the health action agenda in countries. Global programmes and events, such as the World Antibiotics Awareness Week, continue to help raise public awareness and understanding to scale up action.
The misuse and overuse of antimicrobials in human medicine and food production have contributed to the increase in the prevalence of AMR. In the human health sector, a major reason given by health workers and students for the misuse of antimicrobials is the lack of understanding and adequate expertise to address AMR. A key approach to address this challenge and ensure the appropriate use of antimicrobials is to ensure that health workers acquire, through their education and training, the competencies required to prevent and combat AMR, as stated in the first objective of the WHO Global Action Plan on AMR.
Although most countries have a national action plan to address AMR, the variability in quality and uneven coverage of initiatives to strengthen education and training of health workers on AMR require a standardization of educational resources for AMR that reflects global evidence and best practices but can be adapted locally. Education and training capacity and resources are currently known to differ markedly across regions and settings. This WHO competency framework for education on AMR is strategic and timely, given the widespread perception among health workers of insufficient knowledge and expertise on the topic, resulting in inappropriate antimicrobial prescription and use practices. This competency framework is intended to serve as a reference for academic institutions, educators, accreditation bodies, regulatory agencies and other users to help ensure that pre-service education and inservice training equip health workers with the requisite competencies to address AMR. It complements other relevant existing WHO guidance on AMR and lays the foundation for the development of more in-depth educational resources and AMR curricula.
