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APAC medical societies respond to AMR tsunami

18 November 2019 | News

Collectively recommend 12 core interventions to promote the success of antimicrobial stewardship

Image credit- nationaltoday.com

Image credit- nationaltoday.com

In anticipation of World Antibiotic Awareness Week (18-24 November) the Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Summit Expert Group and the Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) Working Group convened in Bangkok, Thailand, in a first-ever regional effort to combat the 'silent tsunami' of antimicrobial resistance.

At the Joint Asia Pacific AMR Summit-AMS Working Group Meeting, which took place over the weekend of 26-27 October, 17 leaders from clinical microbiology, infection control, infectious disease and critical care societies in Asia Pacific made actionable plans to empower governments, hospital administrators, healthcare professionals and the public to address this epidemic. It is projected that by 2050, annually more than 4.7 million people in Asia Pacific will die from infections previously curable by antibiotics, representing the highest projected death toll globally. The economic burden and strain on local healthcare systems would be equally astronomical.

The AMR Summit Expert Group, united leaders from 14 medical societies/organizations, is joined by the AMS Working Group, which is dedicated to improve the quality of antimicrobial stewardship in Asia through tailored initiatives, such as the development of the region's first AMS Blueprint and specialized antimicrobial stewardship training to resource-constrained hospitals.

For the first time ever at the Joint Asia Pacific AMR Summit-AMS Working Group Meeting, experts from national medical societies in Asia Pacific collectively recommend 12 core interventions to promote the success of antimicrobial stewardship (Table). "Every government, stakeholder and responsible personnel can use the 12 core interventions as a checklist to ensure essential interventions for antimicrobial stewardship are met, as part of the commitment to combat antimicrobial resistance," said Dr Pisonthi Chongtrakul from Thailand's National Strategic Plan on AMR.

The Joint Asia Pacific AMR Summit-AMS Working Group Meeting marks the beginning of an ongoing regional commitment to work towards a world with no unnecessary deaths due to antimicrobial resistance.

12 core interventions to promote the success of antimicrobial stewardship-

1. A mandated multi-disciplinary national body to coordinate surveillance and appropriate use of antimicrobials

2. National clinical guidelines for diagnosis, prevention and treatment of infections

3. Novel treatment and essential antimicrobial list based on treatments of choice

4. Strengthening drugs and therapeutics committees in districts and hospitals

5. Problem-based AMS and infection control training in undergraduate curricula

6. Continuing medical education on AMS as a licensure requirement

7. Supervision, audit and feedback

8. Independent information on antimicrobials

9. Public education about appropriate use of antimicrobials and consequences of antimicrobial misuse

10. Avoidance of perverse financial incentives

11. Appropriate and enforced regulation for antimicrobial use and disposal

12. Sufficient government expenditure to ensure availability of antimicrobials, diagnostics, and staff to tackle AMR issues

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