Kathy Oxtoby asks what optometrists need to know about antimicrobial resistance.
Once antibiotics were seen as a cure-all. Now, says England’s Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Professor Dame Sally Davies, there is the potential for a “post-antibiotic apocalypse”, and leading health experts say growing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a threat “bigger than cancer”.
Optometrists are certainly not a cause of, or a significant contributor to, the problem of AMR. However, it is very important for optometrists, both those with and without independent prescribing (IP) qualifications, to be aware of the issues around AMR and the part that you can play in tackling the problem.
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The College, The Association of British Dispensing Opticians (ABDO) and the Federation of Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians (FODO) back the Government’s commitment to put patients in the driving seat and give them more control and choice over their care.
One thing is certain: I wasn’t expecting the events of the last 10 weeks to take place when I wrote my last Optometry in Practice editorial in February this year.