AMR surveillance and you
Introduction
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major global concern because drug-resistant infections can kill, spread to others, and impose huge costs on individuals and society. In order to tackle this problem we first need to understand it; we can do this by collecting and sharing high-quality data that is relevant to AMR through systematic surveillance.
Surveillance data relating to AMR means that trends in resistance and antimicrobial use can be monitored and used to make better decisions to help tackle the AMR crisis. If you are involved in any activities related to AMR, you are likely to be contributing to AMR surveillance even if this role is not specifically part of your job description. Even if it’s not in your job title, you are an ‘AMR surveillance professional’.
Approaches to AMR surveillance will be covered in the modules An introduction to surveillance, Introducing AMR surveillance systems, An overview of national AMR surveillance and AMR surveillance in animals. As an AMR surveillance professional, you have a key role to play in this surveillance process, whether it is in collecting, analysing or interpreting data, or in using the data to develop new policies and practices.
About the Fleming Fund
The Fleming Fund is a UK aid programme to help low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) improve surveillance for bacterial AMR, so that data relevant to bacterial AMR is available to national and local decision-makers. It funds a range of initiatives in LMICs that aim to increase the quantity and quality of data to:
- better understand the scale and drivers of AMR
- inform policies and practices
- optimise the use of antimicrobial medicines.
It should be noted that although generally the term ‘antimicrobial resistance’ (or ‘AMR’) refers to resistance in all types of micro-organism, throughout this course it will predominantly be used to mean resistance in bacteria.
The aim of Tackling antimicrobial resistance is to help you to identify, develop and apply skills and knowledge relevant to your role in order to change and improve your working practice and the practice of people that you work with. The course’s main focus is AMR surveillance and the course materials are suitable for individuals who have a role in AMR surveillance programmes. However, even if you do not currently have a defined role in an AMR surveillance programme, you may (as noted above) be part of a surveillance system; for example, if you work in a laboratory that reports its results to a national system. And of course, everyone involved in healthcare has a role to play in reducing AMR, so you may find some of the materials in this course relevant to your work.
AMR surveillance and you is the first module in your study pathway. It is an opportunity for you to identify the skills and areas of knowledge that you need to develop for your role and to reflect on how your learning in the other modules can change your working practice in relation to AMR.
After completing this module, you will be able to:
- describe how antimicrobial resistance relates to your work
- understand what AMR knowledge and skills are required for your role
- identify areas where your knowledge and skills require development and plan a strategy to address these skills gaps
- know your responsibilities as a learner and the role that learning plays in your professional practice relating to AMR
- reflect on how your learning has changed your working practice relating to AMR.
