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APUA: Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics
http://www.apua.org

Global Research to Improve Antimicrobial Policy and Practice (GRIP) Program.
(Formerly known as the Small Grants Program)


APUA international chapters form a global network of healthcare practitioners and scientific groups working on antibiotic resistance in various locales around the world. Chapters serve as a source of resistance information and as a vehicle to tailor the prudent use message to local customs and medical practices. To foster their work, APUA has initiated a small grants program that will provide seed money of up to $3000 for short-term research and research-based educational activities designed to curb antibiotic resistance and promote the prudent use of antibiotics.

Projects are evaluated according to their research plans and their potential to improve policy and practice. At this time, only APUA chapters from developing and transitional countries are eligible to apply for support through the small grants program. Thus far, chapters in Belarus, Brazil, Bulgaria, Columbia, Cuba, Guatemala, India, Moldova, Nepal, Peru, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Uruguay and Vietnam have been awarded grants for research projects, such as a study on antimicrobial prescribing in children with respiratory tract infections, a conference on rational antibiotic use for healthcare professionals and students, and surveillance of antimicrobial resistance.

Current funded research is in response to a 2001 Request for Proposals entitled Cost Analyses of Antibiotic Usage Patterns: impact of antibiotic control measures. The following chart highlights the impacts of current grantees’ work.

Country Title of Project Principal Investigator Impacts of Project on Policy and Practice to Date
Moldova "Analysis of the Sale and Dispensing of Antibiotics in Moldova" Dr. Natalia Cebotarenco
  • Provided trended data about antimicrobial consumption from 5 hospitals and 3 Children’s Emergency Rooms in Moldova in 1991 and 2001, a necessary underpinning of good antimicrobial policy.
  • Educated physicians about trends in antibiotic use from 1991 to 2001 with the aim of promoting rational use of antimicrobials.
Nepal "Development of National Antibiotic Guidelines in Nepal." Dr. Shyam P. Lohani
  • Drafted national antibiotic guidelines for Nepal, with input from key stakeholders, which were submitted to the Nepal Ministry of Health for implementation.
Peru "Determining the Economic Impact of Surgical Site Infections at Hospital Nacional Cayetano Heredia in Lima, Peru" Dr. Dalila Y. Martínez Medina
  • Taught surgery staff how to perform active surveillance for surgical site infections (SSI) at the Hospital Nacional Cayetano Heredia.
  • Discovered that extended hospitalizations, extra cleaning procedures, and re-surgery for patients with SSIs occurred at double the rate of patients without these infections.
  • Instituted a policy of accelerated discharge based on findings that 15% of patients develop a second SSI when they stay longer than necessary in the hospital.
Poland "Cost-Effectiveness of Evolving Antibiotic Prescribing in Primary Care Hospitals in Poland." Dr. Pawel Grzesiowski and Dr. Waleria Hryniewicz
  • Updated selected guidelines for diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of respiratory tract infections.
  • Developed forms for physician use in reporting antimicrobial consumption for treatment and prophylaxis.
Russia "Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of MiniVITAL Automated System (Biomerieus) Vs. Routine Microbiological Procedures for Blood Cultures from ICU Patients with Sepsis in Russian Hospitals." Prof. L.S. Stratchounski
  • Study results will help hospitals decide how to most cost-effectively culture ICU patients with sepsis.
Ukraine "Estimation of the Economic Impact of Inappropriate Microbiological Sample Culturing in a Ukrainian City Hospital." Dr. Igor Bereznyakov
  • Determined the cost of inappropriate or inadequate microbiological sample culturing in the Kharkiv City Hospital Microbiology Laboratory.
  • Developed a microbiological training program for Kharkiv City Hospital doctors and nurses.
  • Presented preliminary study results at the APUA-Ukraine Conference on Clinical Microbiology and Antimicrobial Chemotherapy in February 2003.
Uruguay "Cost of Staphylococcus aureus hospital acquired infections: implications of methicillin-resistant and methicillin-susceptible isolates in University Hospital in Montevideo, Uruguay" Dr.Rosario Palacio
  • Established a baseline estimate of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) at University Hospital in Montevideo
  • Engaged hospital decision makers in discussions of the cost and policy implications of MRSA.
  • Provided data about the clinical and economic characteristics of MRSA at University Hospital.
APUA is currently seeking dedicated funding to support the GRIP Program. Pursuant to chapter interest, the next round of GRIP-funded research programs will focus on the relationship between antibiotic use and resistance.

For more information on this program, please contact us.

Return to APUA Chapters webpage.

 

 


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