Principles

The vision for the Academy for Infection Management is to gain wider acceptance for the optimal prevention and management of infections to improve patient outcomes.

The Core Principles set out the overall goals of the programme which are to:

Patient outcomes

• Select the most appropriate antibiotic depending on the patient, risk factors, suspected infection and resistance

Antibiotic choice

• It is important to start with the appropriate empiric antibiotic first in nosocomial infections
• Administer antibiotics at the right dose for the appropriate duration
• If appropriate, change antibiotic dosage or therapy based on resistance and pathogen information

Resistance

• Recognise that prior antimicrobial administration is a risk factor for the presence of resistant pathogens
• Know the unit’s resistance profile and choose antibiotics accordingly

Infection control

• Wash hands adequately and wear gloves appropriately
• Remove indwelling devices as soon as they are no longer indicated
• Ensure adequate containment of the infection source by removing contaminated devices and draining/debriding infectious tissue