National point-prevalence survey of healthcare-associated infections and antimicrobial use: UK-PAS/UKHSA joint call to action for all paediatric services.
Channon-Wells S., Elmes J., Muller-Pebody B., McGarrity O., Chappell F., Drysdale SB., Ashiru-Oredope D., Patel S., Demirjian A.
The negative impact of high antimicrobial use (AMU), antimicrobial resistance and healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) on children is concerning. However, a lack of available paediatric data makes it challenging to design and implement interventions that would improve health outcomes in this population, and impedes efforts to secure additional resources. The upcoming 2023 national point-prevalence survey of HCAIs and AMU in hospitals, led by the UK Health Security Agency, is an opportunity to collect valuable information, which will enable healthcare providers and policy makers to optimize antimicrobial stewardship and infection prevention practices in all populations, including children. These data will facilitate benchmarking and sharing of best practice, internally, nationally and internationally. This is a joint call to action asking all healthcare professionals-particularly in paediatrics-to nominate a lead for their institution and participate in this survey, to ensure appropriate paediatric representation, and help protect children from these growing threats.