Due to the consistently high levels of agreement reached on competency statements and their associated descriptors, this competency framework should be used to direct education for undergraduate healthcare professionals, and those working in new clinical roles to support healthcare delivery where an understanding of, and engagement with, AMS is important. Although the competencies target basic education, they can also be used for continuing education.

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Assessment, revisions and updates of our priority-setting exercise should be considered at intervals of 2 years. To propose research priority areas in low- and middle-income countries, the methodology reported here could be applied.

Background: There is growing recognition by national and international policy makers of the contribution nurses make towards antimicrobial stewardship. Although undergraduate education provides an ideal opportunity to prepare nurses for antimicrobial stewardship roles and activities, only two thirds of undergraduate nursing programmes incorporate any antimicrobial stewardship teaching and only 12% cover all the recommended antimicrobial stewardship principles. Nurses also report that they do not have a good knowledge of antibiotics, and many have not heard of the term antimicrobial stewardship. Aim: To provide international consensus on the antimicrobial stewardship competency descriptors appropriate for undergraduate nurse education. Methods: A modified Delphi approach comprising two on-line surveys delivered to an international panel of fifteen individuals reflecting expertise in prescribing and medicines management in the education and practice of nurses; and antimicrobial stewardship. Data collection took place between February and March 2019. Findings: A total of 15 participants agreed to become members of the expert panel, of whom 13 (86%) completed round one questionnaire, and 13 (100%) completed round two. Consensus was achieved, with consistent high levels of agreement across panel members, on 6 overarching competency domains and 63 descriptors, essential for antimicrobial stewardship practice. Conclusion: The competency descriptors should be used to direct undergraduate nurse education, and the AMS practices of qualified nurses (including those working in new roles such as Nursing Associates) given the high levels of agreement reached on competency descriptors.

Treatment with some quinolones is associated with an abnormal skin reaction following exposure to sunlight (photosensitivity). The objective of the current study was to compare the photosensitizing potential of a new quinolone, trovafloxacin, with that of ciprofloxacin, lomefloxacin and placebo. Forty-eight healthy males (age range 19-45 years) were randomized to receive a 7 day course of treatment with: (i) trovafloxacin 200 mg od; (ii) ciprofloxacin 500 mg bd; (iii) lomefloxacin 400 mg od; or (iv) placebo bd. Minimal erythema doses (MEDs) were assessed using a monochromator at baseline and on day 5 of treatment, for wavelengths of 305 +/- 5, 335 +/- 30, 365 +/- 30, 400 +/- 30 and 430 +/- 30 nm; 335 +/- 30 and 365 +/- 30 nm are within the UVA range. Immediate reaction MEDs were similar in all treatment groups. However, between baseline and day 5, the mean decreases in delayed-reaction MED (24 h) at 335 +/- 30 nm were only 18.99% for trovafloxacin versus placebo (P = 0.1267), compared with 53.77% (P 0.0001) and 64.13% (P 0.0001) for ciprofloxacin and lomefloxacin, respectively. Similarly, at 365 +/- 30 nm, trovafloxacin produced the smallest reduction in delayed MED versus placebo (43.66%), compared with ciprofloxacin (61.53%) and lomefloxacin (75.81%). These differences between trovafloxacin and ciprofloxacin and lomefloxacin were significant at both 335 +/- 30 and 365 +/- 30 nm (P 0.029). All MED values returned to baseline levels within 2 days of drug cessation. These results show that trovafloxacin has significantly less photosensitizing potential than either ciprofloxacin or lomefloxacin. This photosensitivity appears to be induced only by wavelengths in the UVA region, is maximal at 24 h and is a short-term effect.