Bayer Launches Education Now, Safeguarding Antimicrobials Initiative With Educational Guide And Quiz
8 years ago 
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At a time when fears about antimicrobial resistance are a key part of the global health agenda, Bayer Animal Health has developed an educational antimicrobial guide for small animal vets to use in practice, to launch its ‘Education Now, Safeguarding Antimicrobials’ initiative.
The guide has been written by Simon Tappin, European and RCVS Recognised Specialist in Veterinary Internal Medicine at Dick White Referrals, and is designed to offer practical advice on the appropriate use of antibiotics in general practice. The guide covers a range of topics including how to create an antibiotic practice policy, ways to optimise therapy and how to limit the development of antimicrobial resistance.
Simon commented: ‘‘Making rational and informed antimicrobial choices is vitally important in veterinary medicine, both for the welfare of our patients and in reducing the risk of developing antimicrobial resistance.
‘‘Highlighting this issue to vets, providing education and supporting them in making these decisions is crucial to ensure a responsible approach to antimicrobial prescribing.”
Recent surveys have highlighted the need for education on this topic, with 63 per cent of vets1 stating that they would like to improve their knowledge on antimicrobials, and 90 per cent of vets2 admitting that they are concerned about antimicrobial resistance.
Hannah Watts, Group Product Manager at Bayer comments: ‘‘Following the results of recent polls amongst UK practising small animal vets, we have responded by producing a range of materials to support vets in daily practice, helping them make optimal decisions when it comes to prescribing antimicrobials.
‘‘We will be releasing additional resources later in the year to further support the ‘Education Now, Safeguarding Antimicrobials’ campaign.”
As well as the guide, vets have the opportunity to take part in a quiz to test and refresh their knowledge on antimicrobials, and can enter a competition to be in with a chance of winning an iPad Pro. The quiz can be accessed by following this link (https://veraflox.typeform.com/to/KY8lxX).
The guide is supplied with a ring binder file, to organise your educational resources and is available from the Bayer Vet Centre, www.vetcentre.bayer.co.uk. Alternatively, you can download here www.bit.ly/Veraflox2016 or contact your local Bayer Territory Manager.
References:
1Bayer survey amongst 456 vets investigating attitudes towards antibiotic use, conducted in March 2014
2BVA’s Second Voice of the Veterinary Profession Survey, September/October 2014
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