Old Case, New Tricks: Transforming Antimicrobial Education for Disaster Preparedness

Recent pandemics underscore the need to update teaching tools with relevant scenarios, preparing nursing students for future global health challenges.

An antimicrobial stewardship case study was adapted to include pandemic scenarios in an accelerated nursing program, focusing on a fictional pandemic caused by Endurabacillus pandemica, a multidrug-resistant organism.

Of 12 students, 8 (67%) reported increased awareness of disaster preparedness, 9 (75%) believed the scenarios effectively illustrated nurses' roles, and 10 (83%) agreed the scenarios accurately depicted challenges of managing resistant bacteria during a pandemic. Ten students (83%) reported the scenarios were engaging, and 11 (91%) found scenarios useful for applying pharmacological concepts. Qualitative feedback commended the realistic scenario progression and decision-making aspects.

Incorporating pandemic elements into case studies enriches nursing education with realistic experiences, preparing students for future challenges and integrating disaster preparedness without requiring entirely new content. [.