The Superhero against Superbugs workshop conducted at Mandya Institute of Medical Sciences, Mandya was an insightful day of activities and learning for fourth year medical students and postgraduates.
The workshop aimed to train future clinicians on practices and myths about Antimicrobial Resistance.
The day was kicked off with an ice-breaker ‘Taboo’ game which introduced the participants to terminologies related to AMR. This was followed by a talk by Dr Mansi Malik, a scientist at the TATA institute of Genetics and Society, Bengaluru who spoke about her work with Bengaluru’s municipal corporation on molecular surveillance of dengue serotypes during the outbreak in the city. She also enlightened the students on the various assays her lab has patented and how better diagnostics could contribute to lessening misuse of antibiotics.
Dr Kavitha, Head of Department of Microbiology at Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular research, Bengaluru then gave a talk about a clinical microbiologist’s perspectives on AMR. She also provided insights into antibiograms, AWaRe classification, stewardship initiatives and hospital policies to tackle AMR. Both speakers stressed on the importance of the ‘One Health’ approach, and need for interdisciplinary collaboration for the causes.
The talks were followed by a group activity on Infectious Disease Protocols. Teams were given a particular part of the hospital and asked to come up with best methods to maintain sterility and hygiene in the facility.
Dr Rekha, Head of the Department of Medicine was our in-house speaker who spoke about the practical aspects of dealing with AMR while working as a physician and engaged the students with case studies from the hospital.
The workshop ended with a Jeopardy style quiz, whose finalists were chosen based on a fast-paced preliminary round. The quiz ended in high-spirits with fierce competition between the teams. Questions were designed to test the students’ knowledge from the workshop and clinical acumen related to AMR.
Overall, the SaS workshop conducted in Mandya was a successful event, leaving students with a strong interest to implement better practices once they step into healthcare facilities.
