Publication date: Aug 03, 2026
Small and mid-level hospitals constitute the backbone of healthcare delivery for much of India’s population, yet inadequate capacity to implement infection prevention and control (IPC) and antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programmes limits their ability to address antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This study evaluated a structured mentorship model that harnessed the expertise of tertiary care hospitals to strengthen IPC and AMS capacity in secondary and mid-level healthcare facilities. A multicentre pre-post intervention study was conducted across 88 secondary and mid-level tertiary care hospitals in India mentored by 11 tertiary care hospitals between 2021-2023. A structured mentorship-based intervention focusing on IPC and AMS strengthening was implemented. Quantitative outcomes were analysed using McNemar’s test for paired binary variables, while qualitative findings from mentor feedback, site visits, and follow-up interactions were analysed using thematic analysis and presented through a fishbone framework. A p value
| Concepts | Keywords |
|---|---|
| Antibiotic stewardship | |
| Mentor-mentee model | |
| Secondary hospitals | |
| Tertiary care hospitals |
Semantics
| Type | Source | Name |
|---|---|---|
| disease | MESH | infection |
| disease | MESH | AMS |