This course has been designed as a continuing professional development education day for learners seeking to improve their knowledge of Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) in Children and Young People (CYP).

AMS and Infection Prevention & Control (IPC) will be brought together to upskill learners in the clinical management of paediatric patients.

Clinical expert speakers will deliver the sessions.

The course content and learning outcomes are:

1. Prescribing in Paediatrics

  • Explain the principles of safe and effective antimicrobial prescribing in neonates, infants, and children
  • Recognise common paediatric prescribing pitfalls and how to avoid them (e.g. weight-based dosing, renal/hepatic function).
  • Apply national/local paediatric antimicrobial guidelines to clinical scenarios.
  • Justify antimicrobial choice based on indication, spectrum, site of infection, and local resistance patterns.

2. Pharmacokinetics (PK) in Children

  • Describe how developmental physiology (age-related changes in absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion) affects drug dosing in paediatrics.
  • Identify how PK variability impacts antimicrobial efficacy and toxicity in different paediatric age groups.
  • Compare PK profiles of commonly used antimicrobials (e.g., aminoglycosides, beta-lactams) across paediatric populations.
  • Integrate PK principles to adjust dosing in special populations (e.g., neonates, critically ill, renal impairment).

3. Antimicrobial Pharmacology

  • Recall the basic mode of action for the main types of antibiotics, antifungals and antivirals
  • Recognise the main types of PKPD targets for antibiotics, antifungals and antivirals
  • Understand principles of resistance development and strategies to overcome resistance

4. Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (TDM)

  • Explain the role of TDM in optimising the safety and efficacy of antimicrobial therapy in children.
  • Identify which antimicrobials require TDM (e.g., vancomycin, aminoglycosides) and why.
  • Interpret TDM results to inform dose adjustments, including timing of sample collection.
  • Collaborate with pharmacy and microbiology teams to optimise TDM practice and improve patient outcomes

5. Infection Prevention and Control

  • Develop a greater understanding of the theories around AMS and IPC in order to improve care provided in the paediatric setting
  • Understand how to apply infection control in practice in order to facilitate good AMS in the paediatric setting