Washington DC, 21 April 2021 (PAHO/WHO)- The course on the implementation and strengthening of Programs for Optimizing Antimicrobials (PROA), developed by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and offered on the Virtual Campus for Public Health, finished. More than 320 managers, leaders, and health professionals from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, and the Dominican Republic approved the course.
The initiative addressed the problem of antimicrobial resistance; the importance of PROA programs; their organization and implementation; strategies to improve the use of antimicrobials; the essential role of education, interaction, and complement with infection control programs; and other key aspects that will allow professionals to be placed in these processes to improve the quality of care.
Those who completed the course were trained to organize, implement and monitor the development of a PROA in their health institution and interpret the factors that influence behavior related to the prescription of antimicrobials.
Comments from the course participants
"I am a pharmaceutical professional and I feel very fortunate to be able to participate in these types of courses that are very helpful for our professional training and especially for the development of these programs that are important in health."
"Congratulations for giving us the opportunity to train on such transcendental and important topics, such as microbial resistance against antimicrobials, I feel extremely sensitized and motivated to put what I have learned into practice."
"This course was very helpful in my daily activity and I hope to put into practice new tools for optimizing the use of antimicrobials."
“The course is very valuable. Very useful and close to our reality. An important first step to implement a PROA”.
“Excellent course. Very grateful for allowing me to expand my knowledge about antimicrobials and PROA, it will help me a lot in the implementation of the appropriate use of antimicrobials in my workplace. Excellent teachers”.
