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, 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 to educate the participants as well as their healthcare 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 indiscriminate use of antibiotics, and over-the-counter medications amongst others.

Team Members

             NAMES                                                            POSITION

• 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