WHO launches global tool to improve AMR and infection control training for nurses

The World Health Organization (WHO), together with global institutions such as the UK Health Security Agency, Griffith University in Australia, the University of São Paulo in Brazil and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, has launched a new framework aimed at improving how nurses and midwives are trained to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The publication focuses on strengthening infection prevention and responsible antibiotic use in healthcare education, warning that poorly trained healthcare workers could worsen the growing crisis of drug-resistant infections.

The report, titled Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Prevention and Control: Curriculum Assessment Tool for Nursing and Midwifery Education, says nurses and midwives must play a much bigger role in protecting patients and preventing the spread of dangerous infections.

A Growing Global Health Threat

Antimicrobial resistance happens when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites stop responding to medicines used to treat them. This makes infections harder and more expensive to cure and increases the risk of severe illness and death.

WHO says poor infection prevention remains one of the main reasons resistant infections continue to spread. Weak hand hygiene, unsafe injections, overcrowded hospitals and poor sanitation systems all contribute to healthcare-associated infections. These infections not only endanger patients but also put enormous pressure on healthcare systems worldwide.

The report highlights global targets agreed during the 2024 United Nations High-Level Meeting on AMR, including reducing deaths linked to bacterial AMR by 10% before 2030. WHO believes these goals can only be achieved if healthcare workers are properly trained from the start of their careers.

New Focus on Nursing and Midwifery Training

The new WHO tool is designed to help universities and nursing schools assess whether their teaching programmes properly cover antimicrobial resistance and infection prevention. It can be used for undergraduate nursing degrees, postgraduate programmes and even professional in-service training.

The framework encourages schools to carefully review their course materials and identify gaps in teaching. Workshops involving nursing faculty, microbiologists, pharmacists and clinical trainers are also recommended to improve collaboration and strengthen learning outcomes.

WHO says AMR and infection prevention should not be treated as separate topics taught in a few lectures. Instead, they should be integrated throughout the entire curriculum, so students understand how infections spread and how they can prevent them in real healthcare settings.

Practical Skills at the Centre

The report places strong emphasis on hands-on training. Nursing and midwifery students are expected to learn proper hand hygiene, safe use of protective equipment, waste management, environmental cleaning and infection control procedures.

Students should also understand how antibiotics work, when they should or should not be used and how misuse contributes to resistance. WHO encourages training on communicating with patients about responsible antibiotic use and recognising dangerous side effects or allergic reactions.

Special attention is given to high-risk areas such as emergency care, surgery, maternity wards and intensive care units. Nursing students are expected to learn how to prevent infections linked to catheters, ventilators and surgical procedures. Midwives are also encouraged to focus on preventing maternal and newborn infections during pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period.

Beyond Hospitals and Clinics

WHO stresses that the fight against antimicrobial resistance extends beyond healthcare facilities. The framework includes education on sanitation, vaccination, community hygiene and public awareness campaigns.

The report also promotes the “One Health” approach, which recognises that antimicrobial resistance is connected to human health, animal health and the environment. Students are encouraged to understand how antibiotic use in agriculture and environmental contamination can contribute to the spread of resistant infections.

Building a Safer Future

WHO says the long-term goal is to create a healthcare workforce that is fully prepared to reduce infections, improve patient safety and slow the spread of drug resistance. The organisation is urging governments, nursing regulators and universities to adopt the framework and regularly review curricula to keep pace with changing global health threats.

As antimicrobial resistance continues to rise worldwide, WHO warns that the battle against superbugs will not only be fought in laboratories and hospitals, but also in classrooms where future nurses and midwives are being trained to protect public health.