Working Life: We’re getting ‘winter ready’ with vaccines

8.30am

Teams meeting with Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control (AMRIC) and Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP) colleagues to discuss any concerns regarding infection prevention and antibiotic use in general practice and the community.

9am

I review antibiotic guidelines being updated for discussion in our expert antibiotic stewardship advisory groups. Members of these working groups are colleagues from hospital and community specialities who work together to develop HSE guidelines for appropriate antibiotic prescribing.

11am

With World Antibiotic Awareness Week (WAAW) starting on November 18, I meet with colleagues to discuss the information being distributed to GPs and the public. WAAW is a campaign to improve awareness and understanding of antimicrobial resistance, which is a threat to humans, and to animals, plants, and the environment. We work closely with our One Health Partners in agriculture and the environment. By 2050, the UN estimates that up to 10m deaths could be caused by superbugs and antimicrobial resistance, matching the annual global death toll from cancer.

2pm

Meeting with the AMRIC team to discuss some exciting projects we’re developing to review antibiotic prescriptions in the out-of-hours GP settings.

AMRIC is committed to reducing antimicrobial resistance in Ireland and we have a great team working to deliver the HSE 2022-2023 AMRIC action plan.

2.30pm

Meeting with the AMRIC antibiotic working group to review updated guidelines for the HSE website Antbioticprescribing.ie. This is a working group attended by GPs and community antimicrobial pharmacists to update antibiotic guidelines in line with clinical guidelines. It’s a resource I use on a daily basis to ensure I treat my patients appropriately.

4pm

I start my clinical GP session in my practice in Churchtown, Dublin. I see patients with a variety of acute and chronic illnesses. As it’s winter season, we have a late clinic for flu and covid vaccines.

6.30pm

I complete the paperwork and head home. Fortunately, my husband is on pickup duty for our daughter, so my only job is cuddles before bedtime.