Fundamental gaps in knowledge hinder action against antimicrobial resistance, but the limitations of research into interventions for antimicrobial resistance serve as even bigger obstacles. Although systematic reviews have synthesised the effectiveness of some types of these interventions,a broder search and assessment of published interventions for antimicrobial resistance provides insights into the current state of knowledge. 

Contact details: 

Dr Didier Wernli, Geneva Transformative Governance Lab, Global Studies Institute, University of Geneva, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland didier.wernli@unige.ch

Background

Improving evidence for action is crucial to tackle antimicrobial resistance. The number of interventions for antimicrobial resistance is increasing but current research has major limitations in terms of efforts, methods, scope, quality, and reporting. Moving the agenda forwards requires an improved understanding of the diversity of interventions, their feasibility and cost–benefit, the implementation factors that shape and underpin their effectiveness, and the ways in which individual interventions might interact synergistically or antagonistically to influence actions against antimicrobial resistance in different contexts. Within the efforts to strengthen the global governance of antimicrobial resistance, we advocate for the creation of an international One Health platform for online learning. The platform will synthesise the evidence for actions on antimicrobial resistance into a fully accessible database; generate new scientific insights into the design, implementation, evaluation, and reporting of the broad range of interventions relevant to addressing antimicrobial resistance; and ultimately contribute to the goal of building societal resilience to this central challenge of the 21st century.

Project overview

• Fundamental gaps in knowledge hinder effective action against antimicrobial resistance, but the limitations of research on interventions serve as even bigger obstacles. Moving the agenda forward requires a better understanding of the diversity of interventions for antimicrobial resistance, their feasibility and cost–benefit, and the factors that shape and underpin their effectiveness.

• To foster learning across goals, regions, levels, and sectors, information about interventions for antimicrobial resistance can be consolidated into a fully accessible and continuously updated One Health online platform. Its main added value would be to provide searchable evidence about what works, for whom, and under what conditions.
• An open access learning platform on interventions for antimicrobial resistance should be useful to a broad range of stakeholders, including health-care professionals, public health practitioners, policy makers, industries, and consumer groups. It would not only provide the possibility of complementing published sources with new information, but also enable the exchange of ideas through online community tools 

• By working towards amplifying the generation of science-based and actionable knowledge, the platform would be a timely contribution to the goal of building societal resilience to the complex challenge of antimicrobial resistance. The integration of the One Health learning platform within the governance mechanism will help to maximise its usefulness and sustainability.

Researchers

Wernli, D., Jørgensen, P.S., Parmley, E.J., Troell, M., Majowicz, S., Harbarth, S., Léger, A., Lambraki, I., Graells, T., Henriksson, P.J.G., Carson, C., Cousins, M., Ståhlgren, G.S., Mohan, C.V., Simpson, A.J.H., Wieland, B., Pedersen, K., Schneider, A., Chandy, S.J., Wijayathilaka, T.P., Delamare-Deboutteville, J., Vila, J., Lundborg, C.S. and Pittet, D.

Institutions involved

Geneva Transformative Governance Lab, Global Studies Institute and Infection Control Program and World Health Organization Collaborating Centre on Patient Safety, University Hospitals and Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; School of Public Health, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China, Global Economic Dynamics and the Biosphere and Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics, The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm, Sweden; Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden Department of Population Medicine, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada, School of Public Health and Health Systems, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada, WorldFish, Penang, Malaysia, Centre for Foodborne, Environmental and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Public Health Agency of Canada, Guelph, ON, Canada, Unit for Antibiotics and Infection Control, The Public Health Agency of Sweden, Solna, Sweden,Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine Research Building, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK, Lao-Oxford-Mahosot Hospital-Wellcome Trust Research Unit, Microbiology Laboratory, Mahosot Hospital, Vientiane, Laos , International Livestock Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya,  National Veterinary Institute, Uppsala, Sweden, Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK, Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India, World Organisation for Animal Health, OIE Sub-Regional Representation for South East Asia, Bangkok, Thailand, Department of Clinical Microbiology, Biomedical Diagnostic Center, Hospital Clinic School of Medicine and Barcelona Institute for Global Health, University of Barcelona, Barcelona Spain and Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

Research Subject Area(s)

       One Health, Human health, Public health, Antimicrobial Use (AMU), Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)

Funding

Swedish Research Council; Canadian Institutes of Health Research; Swiss National Science Foundation

Relevant information

Full publication available here: https://hdl.handle.net/10568/109151