Research priorities for nurses in antimicrobial stewardship in a middle-income country: a nominal group technique study

Abstract

Background Antimicrobial Stewardship Programmes (ASP) have become an important strategy to address antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Despite the increasing number of international publications, identifying the roles played by nurses as part of ASPs, in low and middle-income countries this theme is poorly researched. This study aimed to identify priority research gaps in the Brazilian context on nurses' performance in ASPs from the perspective of nursing professionals and explore the main themes among the ideas generated by these nurses.Methods This was a qualitative study using the modified Nominal Group Technique (mNGT) during a 3-day online workshop. Thematic analysis was performed based on the ideas proposed by the participants after the clarification stage.Results The participants suggested 68 ideas at the first phase. After the idea’s clarification phase, 45 ideas were included in the voting rounds. The ideas prioritized by participants voting addressed: i) attributions and competencies of nurses in the ASP; ii) planning and implementation of ASP nurses' activities, and iii) use of information and communication technologies to assist nurses. The thematic analysis highlighted nine main themes.Conclusions The role of nursing in dealing with AMR and, more directly, its role in ASP are still unknown and under-researched topics in Brazil. The participants identified ideas that were mainly focused on elementary aspects of ASP. These themes should be further studied in the Brazilian context, but may potentially be applicable to other similar socio-economic contexts.