Antimicrobial stewardship: a competency framework to support the role of nurses

Antimicrobial resistance is a global threat that has prompted a global response. One strategy used to tackle antimicrobial resistance is known as antimicrobial stewardship, its main goal being to optimise antibiotic use and avoid unnecessary antibiotic prescribing. There is an increase in the number of nurse prescribers as well as in the percentage of antibiotics dispensed in primary care precribed by non-medical prescribers such as nurses. Nurses, both prescribers and non-prescribers, play an important role in antimicrobial stewardship, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. To be able to fulfil that role, nurses need the right knowledge, skills, resources and behaviours. This article explores the role of nurses in antimicrobial stewardship and describes a competency framework designed to underpin it.