Targeted Stewardship in LTC: Managing UTIs, Skin, and Respiratory Infections

CE-LTC-AMS-V1.0

Course Description

This course provides practical, evidence-based training on antimicrobial stewardship in long-term care, with focused attention on urinary tract infections, skin and soft tissue infections, and respiratory tract infections. Learners will strengthen assessment, diagnostic stewardship, specimen collection, treatment review, and communication practices that support safer antibiotic use. The course is designed to reduce unnecessary treatment, improve prescribing conversations, and help protect residents from avoidable antimicrobial-related harm and resistance.

Prerequisites / required prior knowledge

  • None required
  • Intended Audience: Frontline LTC staff, clinical leaders, IPAC professionals, antimicrobial stewardship teams, physicians/NPs, pharmacists, educators, and quality/safety leaders who support assessment, specimen collection, prescribing communication, and infection management in LTC
  • Recommended: Familiarity with basic infection assessment, specimen collection workflow, medication documentation, and communication with prescribers

Delivery

Online
Self‑Instruction (Asynchronous)

Credit

1.0 continuing education hour (Self‑Instruction)

Cost

$149 CAD

Availability window

Available on demand  Access for 1 year after enrollment
Meet the instructor

Kamyab Ghatan

MD, AL-CIP™, CIC®, LTC-CIP®, DISIPC, CDIPC
Dr. Kamyab Ghatan is a medical doctor and infection prevention leader who develops practical, standards-based training for diverse environments, including acute and long-term care, ambulatory and dental clinics, veterinary practices, and construction/renovation settings. His work spans infection prevention, surveillance, water management, sterile processing, and implementation science, with a focus on translating standards into workflows teams can actually use. Dr. Ghatan is the founder of the International College of Infection Control Professionals (ICICP).

Learning objectives:

By the end of this course, learners will be able to:

  • Explain how antimicrobial and diagnostic stewardship principles guide safe antibiotic use in long-term care from initial assessment through targeted therapy
  • Recognize when antibiotic therapy is clinically warranted for common long-term care infections using resident assessment findings and diagnostic criteria
  • Demonstrate correct specimen collection and transport techniques to support accurate diagnosis and reduce contamination
  • Interpret clinical signs, case definitions, and culture results for urine, respiratory, and skin/soft tissue infections to support decisions about starting, refining, or stopping antibiotics
  • Implement stewardship and IPAC practices before, during, and after antibiotic therapy to promote appropriate use, effective communication, and resident safety

Completion requirements:

Learners receive credit after viewing all required content, passing the post‑test/final assessment with a minimum score of 80% (up to three attempts), and submitting the course evaluation. If a learner does not achieve 80% within three attempts, they must re-do the course (re-complete required content) within their access period before attempting the assessment again. Upon successful completion, learners may download a certificate of completion.
Provider: International College of Infection Control Professionals (ICICP)
Learner Support: support@icicp.com

Frequently asked questions

Disclosures (conflict of interest / proprietary interest)

The instructor(s) and planners report no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies related to this educational activity.

Commercial support

None. This activity received no commercial support.

Non‑vocational licensing disclosure

This course/program does not require approval under the Ontario Career Colleges Act, 2005.

Content independence statement

Educational content is non‑promotional and designed to be independent of commercial influence; any trade names used are for identification only, and alternatives may be discussed.