Issue #6

Adapted from the World Health Organization’s AWaRe framework, the CAN-AWaRe classification categorizes antibiotics approved by Health Canada based on their importance for antimicrobial stewardship (AMS). By reflecting Canada’s national AMR context, CAN-AWaRe supports consistent and practical application across Canadian AMS initiatives. It will support prescribers, policymakers, and health care systems in making evidence-informed, stewardship-conscious decisions.

Have your say by June 8, 2026, by visiting: Consultation: Canadian Access, Watch, Reserve classification of antimicrobial drugs for human use – Canada.ca

Health Canada will consider all comments received before finalizing the CAN-AWaRe classification.  

Please feel free to share within your networks.

Inspired by input from viewers and our wider AMR Aware Canada community, the CAN AMS! working group is busy planning a new slate of topics for the 2026 season.  Here are just some of the topics that you can expect in upcoming webinars.

We hope to share more details and dates soon.

As migration, global travel, and cross-border healthcare exposures increase, so too does the risk of importing antimicrobial-resistant organisms into Canadian care settings. This session will explore how travel and care abroad should inform empiric therapy decisions, screening, and infection prevention strategies.

Combining epidemiological insights and a clinical case, our speakers will highlight opportunities for antimicrobial stewardship and coordination of AMS, IPAC, and public health personnel.

Antibiotics are often prescribed for dental conditions, yet many cases of tooth pain and localized infection can be managed without them. This session will explore opportunities to optimize antibiotic use in dental care, drawing on recent research and practical guidance. Speakers will highlight Canadian initiatives and practical tools to support decision-making in everyday practice.

Designed for dental professionals as well as clinicians in emergency and community settings, the discussion will focus on real-world scenarios, such as tooth pain and abscess, where better prescribing decisions can improve patient care and reduce unnecessary antibiotic exposure.

Slated for later in the season, this session will introduce the Access, Watch, Reserve (AWaRe) classification system in the Canadian context and its integration within the Canadian Antibiotic Treatment Guidelines (CATG), a national resource providing empiric treatment recommendations for common infectious syndromes.

Featuring national policy and clinical leaders, the session will explore how these complementary initiatives can strengthen antibiotic stewardship across care settings, programs, and surveillance activities supporting more judicious antibiotic use across Canada. We hope you’ll join this and other conversations about AWaRe! (See the call for input above).

This CWC toolkit provides practical resources to support the design and evaluation of audit and feedback (A&F) interventions in primary care. A&F delivers targeted feedback to clinicians to encourage improvements in prescribing behaviour and has been shown to reduce unnecessary antibiotic use—an important component of antimicrobial stewardship.

The toolkit includes 13 best practice recommendations (Schwartz et al.), an implementation checklist, and other evidence-based resources to guide effective A&F strategies. It draws on the foundational work of the CANBuild-AMR initiative, which aims to standardize and support the scale-up of A&F interventions across Canada.

Looking for more information on implementing audit and feedback? Watch the recording of the CAN AMS! webinar featuring Kevin Schwartz and Noah Ivers from the CANBuild-AMR project team:

Implementation Science in Action: Audit and Feedback to Improve Antibiotic Prescribing in Primary Care.

April 28 – May 1, 2026 in St. John’s NL

With thanks to our collaborators at AMMI Canada, AMR Aware Canada will be on site in St. John’s for the AMMI–CACMID conference. If you’re attending, drop by our display across from the plenary room to say hello.

If you’re not yet part of our growing AMR Aware Canada community, you can sign up at the conference for a chance to win a pair of ‘JAMMI jammies’ and other AMMI swag.

Curious about the event? Check out the program here.

Know someone who would be interested in our work?
Invite colleagues, collaborators, and friends to join our network and sign up for future updates at: www.AMRaware.ca