Core competencies on Antimicrobial Stewardship for farmers: objectives and application

What is a core competency?

The EU-JAMRAI uses the ECDC’s definition of a core competency referring to “the proven ability to use knowledge, skills and personal, social and/or methodological abilities, in work or study situations and in professional and personal development” that should be a minimum pre-requisite, common to all professionals in this field.

Objectives
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major public health issue that impacts all health professionals’ practices in human and animal health on a daily basis. As overuse and misuse of antibiotics is a key driver of AMR, antimicrobial stewardship programmes, which have been defined by WHO , as a “coherent set of actions which promote the responsible use of antimicrobials”, should be implemented both in human and animal health.
The training of farmers and veterinarians on antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) thus constitutes a major element to act on in order to tackle AMR. However, training and curricula are very heterogeneous across Europe. Therefore, a list of common core competencies which could be used as a reference for the training of veterinarians and farmers across Europe would be very useful.