| Title: |
Evaluation of a Hub-and-Spoke Model to Enhance Healthcare Professionals’ Practice of Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) Programmes in the Volta Region of Ghana |
| Authors: |
Mairead McErlean; Eneyi Kpokiri; Preet Panesar; Emily E. Cooper; Jonathan Jato; Emmanuel Orman; Hayford Odoi; Araba Hutton-Nyameaye; Samuel O. Somuah; Isaac Folitse; Thelma A. Aku; Inemesit O. Ben; Melissa Farragher; Leila Hail; Cornelius C. Dodoo; Yogini H. Jani |
| Source: |
Antibiotics ; Volume 14 ; Issue 7 ; Pages: 672 |
| Publisher Information: |
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute |
| Publication Year: |
2025 |
| Collection: |
MDPI Open Access Publishing |
| Subject Terms: |
antimicrobial stewardship; hub-and-spoke model; antimicrobial resistance |
| Description: |
Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a critical global health challenge, particularly in resource-limited settings. A hub-and-spoke model, decentralising expertise and distributing resources to peripheral facilities, has been proposed as a strategy to enhance the antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) capacity in low- and middle-income countries. Aim: This study sought to understand healthcare professionals’ experiences of a hub-and-spoke AMS model in the Volta Region of Ghana and its influence on clinical practice, leadership, and collaborative endeavours to address AMR. Methods: A qualitative descriptive design was adopted. In-depth interviews were conducted with 11 healthcare professionals who participated in the AMS program. Thematic analysis was used to identify key themes related to the knowledge and skills that were gained, clinical and leadership practice changes, capacity building, and challenges. Results: Participants reported an increased awareness of AMR, particularly regarding the scale and clinical implications of antimicrobial misuse. The clinical practice improvements included more judicious prescribing and enhanced adherence to infection prevention and control measures. Many respondents highlighted stronger leadership skills and a commitment to capacity building through AMS committees, multidisciplinary collaboration, and cross-organisational knowledge exchange. Despite resource constraints and logistical hurdles, participants expressed optimism, citing data-driven approaches such as point prevalence surveys to track progress and inform policy. Engagement with hospital management and public outreach were viewed as essential to sustaining AMS efforts and curbing over-the-counter antibiotic misuse. Conclusions: The hub-and-spoke model caused observable improvements in AMS knowledge, clinical practice, and leadership capacity among healthcare professionals in Ghana. While challenges remain, particularly in securing sustainable resources and shifting community behaviours, these findings ... |
| Document Type: |
text |
| File Description: |
application/pdf |
| Language: |
English |
| Relation: |
Antibiotics Use and Antimicrobial Stewardship; https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics14070672 |
| DOI: |
10.3390/antibiotics14070672 |
| Availability: |
https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics14070672 |
| Rights: |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
| Accession Number: |
edsbas.99FDF10C |
| Database: |
BASE |