SPARC
Surveillance and Prescribing support for Antimicrobial Stewardship Resource Capacity Building
Expanding AMR surveillance and prescribing
SPARC builds on the technical expertise of the Commonwealth Partnerships for Antimicrobial Stewardship (CwPAMS) programme, which the CPA has delivered in partnership with THET since 2018. CwPAMS focussed on developing robust multidisciplinary, quality improvement partnerships across eight African countries in addition to successfully launching an antimicrobial prescribing smartphone app and surveillance of antimicrobial use via the Global Point Prevalence Survey (GPPS).
Funded by the Fleming Fund, and in partnership with Mott MacDonald and working with stakeholders across the whole health ecosystem in each region, SPARC has a centralised approach to delivering its core projects through:
1. A new mobile App to support prudent antimicrobial prescribing in human and animal health
2. Point Prevalence Survey (PPS) data collection on the use of antimicrobials
3. Support and training for continuous quality improvement (QI) in antimicrobial stewardship
There’s never been a more important time to focus on strengthening our surveillance and information systems to help tackle infectious diseases, especially antimicrobial resistance. We're excited to announce the launch of the ‘SPARC’ programme, funded by the UK’s Fleming Fund.
Victoria Rutter, Executive Director at the CPA
SPARC App
The SPARC App will be rolled out in up to 22 Fleming Fund countries. Core AMS content for human and animal health will be collated and delivered via both the App and website.
12 CPA partnership countries will upload national treatment guidelines for infections to the App and website. To ensure sustainability, the CPA will provide a series of freely-available training videos – enabling all countries to further customise the App for country-specific requirements.
The app is funded for 5 years and with functionality to enable in-country teams to upload additional treatment guidelines in the future.
What is the Point Prevalence Survey (PPS) Data Collection for SPARC?
The CPA will be supporting PPS data collection on the use of antimicrobials in up to 5 institutions across 6 Fleming Fund countries. We will work with our in-country healthcare teams; using real-world evidence and tools to positively impact the rational use of antimicrobials and achieve better patient health.
Each site will have a dedicated Site Champion, working alongside our In-Country Consultant, to provide support on-site and to the global CPA team.
What is the Quality Improvement training for Antimicrobial Stewardship?
The CPA will provide training and team development throughout the project with the aim of supporting continuous quality improvement that is embedded in daily practice.
Training will support in-country healthcare teams to review current data trends within their institutions; to help champion and influence evidence-based behaviour changes across multidisciplinary teams, patients and policymakers.
Training will also cover the practical aspects of content management and administration of the SPARC Prescribing App.
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