International Conference on Antimicrobial Resistance Highlights Latest Advances

Preventing and controlling infections is a global effort, and conferences are vital in this fight. Throughout the year, IPC conferences take place worldwide, with recent ones addressing updates on antimicrobial resistance.

The 6th United Arab Emirates International Conference on Antimicrobial Resistance (ICAMR), held on March 17-18, 2023, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, wasan enlightening scientific and educational gathering which shed light on the latest advances in research and practice through presentations and interactive discussions with current, in-depth, quality scientific content in the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) field. The National Antimicrobial Resistance Committee in UAE organizes the conference.

The conference provided an exceptional opportunity for IPC professionals to share and acquire knowledge and experience on a broad spectrum of topics that are related to microbiology, infectious disease, infection control, and antimicrobial stewardship, in addition to an excellent opportunity to meet and associate with the experts in the field and innovative educators. It was the primary opportunity for practicing infection control practitioners, physicians, microbiologists, and other health care professionals interested in sharing their knowledge and research in preventing and controlling infection and AMR to join our leading national and international faculty.

The event provided all participants with opportunities to learn, debate, discuss, and network in this very active scientific field where recent progress has led to discovering more about AMR.

Why is AMR so important to learn about?

The World Health Organization (WHO) stated that “AMR is a global health and development threat. Achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs) requires urgent multisectoral action.” In addition, WHO declared that AMR is one of humanity's top 10 global public health threats and the misuse and overuse of antimicrobials are the main drivers in developing drug-resistant pathogens.The emergence and spread of drug-resistant pathogens that have acquired new resistance mechanisms, leading to antimicrobial resistance, continue to threaten our ability to treat common infections. Especially alarming is the rapid global spread of multi- and pan-resistant bacteria (also known as “superbugs”) that cause infections that are not treatable with existing antimicrobial medicines such as antibiotics.

As health care professionals, we should work collaboratively to achieve the vision of reducing and controlling AMR; each of us is accountable for being part of this fight against multidrug-resistant organisms.

My participation in the ICAMR:

It was an excellent opportunity for me to conduct a workshop on the Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology’s Certified in Infection Control (CIC) certification, titled “CIC in UAE - The future is infection prevention” The CIC is the industry-wide recognized certification of the basic knowledge, skills, and abilities expected of infection prevention and control professionals. The workshop highlighted the importance of CIC certification from a national and international perspective. Per the CBIC data, we have 135 IPs in UAE CIC-certified, so the UAE is considered one of the top Gulf Cooperation Council countries in certification.

The workshop detailed the a-IPC certification, Long-Term Care Certification in Infection Prevention (LTC-CIP), and CIC. Moreover, the CBIC content, including the 8 domains, covered the main competencies that IPs should have and sample questions on the tests. In addition, case studies were done through interactive discussions among participants.

The workshop detailed the a-IPC certification, Long-Term Care Certification in Infection Prevention (LTC-CIP), and CIC. Moreover, the CBIC content, including the 8 domains, covered the main competencies that IPs should have and sample questions on the tests. In addition, case studies were done through interactive discussions among participants. Additionally, advice and guidance on preparing and studying for the CIC exam were shared. To facilitate preparation for CIC Exam, we also have an ongoing study group (IPQ) mainly related to CIC and discussion of infection prevention practices and conducting free webinars.

One of the interesting studies published recently:Impact of certified infection preventionists (IPs) in acute care settings: A systematic review, showed that CIC IPs were more likely to recommend implementing best practices in the hospitals where they worked, especially as the lead IP. The finding is consistent with the core competencies that certification aims to build among CIC IPs. This will support the importance of having CIC IPs in healthcare facilities and promote CIC certification. However, further studies must be conducted to show more effective outcomes, such as reducing healthcare-associated infections and CIC IPs.

Finally, the CIC examination is the “standardized measure of the basic knowledge, skills, and abilities expected of professionals in infection prevention and control,” according to the CBIC website. I want to encourage all IPs to look to be CIC certified. This will help them grow in their profession and show their employer that they are committed to being the best in infection prevention, implementing best practices in their organization, and ultimately saving patients’ lives.