AMR EDUCATION AND AWARENESS CREATION AMONGST RESIDENTS OF TABITHA CARE HOME, POKUASE

 Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) continues to be a major setback to disease control in medicine. Data suggest that the elderly are among the main reservoirs of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs). While research on AMR surveillance among the aged is extensively done in hospital settings, however, nursing homes have received little to nothing of this research focus. Scientists at the Biomedical and Public Health Research Unit of the Water Research Institute -CSIR-Ghana undertook a surveillance of the prevalence of uropathogens amongst the aged living in Ghana care homes. They also investigated the resistance pattern of these organisms as well as the resistance genes they harbored. The research revealed an alarming rate of MDR amongst the study populations. With this backing, the researchers embarked on an AMR awareness campaign so as to educate the participants as well as their health care professionals and home managers on ways to reduce the occurrence of AMR in these homes 

The outreach was organized in Tabitha Home Care, Pokuase and brought together 80 elderly persons from four different nursing homes. Experts spoke extensively on the maintenance of personal hygiene and indiscriminate use of antibiotics, over-the-counter medications amongst others.

Team Members

Emmanuel Armah                   :           Principal Investigator

Dr Lawrencia Osae-Nyarko    :           Supervisor

Dr Akpene Nyamadi               :           Medical officer

Isaac Ohene Agyapong          :           Member

Kwame Mawuko Ahiabu         :           Member

Bright K Idun                          :           Member

Freda Kwarteng                     :           Member

Mercy Oppong                       :           Member

Mohammed Naael                 :           Member