Abstract
BackgroundProviding healthcare professionals with health surveillance data aims to support professional and organisational behaviour change. The UK Five Year Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Strategy 2013 to 2018 identified better access to and use of surveillance data as a key component. Our aim was to determine the extent to which data on antimicrobial use and resistance met the perceived needs of health care professionals and policy-makers at national, regional and local levels, and how provision could be improved.MethodsWe conducted 41 semi-structured interviews with national policy makers in the four Devolved Administrations and 71 interviews with health care professionals in six locations across the United Kingdom selected to achieve maximum variation in terms of population and health system characteristics. Transcripts were analysed thematically using a mix of a priori reasoning guided by the main topics in the interview guide together with themes emerging inductively from the data. Views were considered at three levels - primary care, secondary care and national - and in terms of availability of data, current uses, benefits, gaps and potential improvements.ResultsRespondents described a range of uses for prescribing and resistance data. The principal gaps identified were prescribing in private practice, internet prescribing and secondary care (where some hospitals did not have electronic prescribing systems). Some respondents under-estimated the range of data available. There was a perception that the responsibility for collecting and analysing data often rests with a few individuals who may lack sufficient time and appropriate skills.ConclusionsThere is a need to raise awareness of data availability and the potential value of these data, and to ensure that data systems are more accessible. Any skills gap at local level in how to process and use data needs to be addressed. This requires an identification of the best methods to improve support and education relating to AMR data systems.
Highlights
Providing healthcare professionals with health surveillance data aims to support professional and organisational behaviour change
In the case of tackling antimicrobial resistance (AMR), the availability of reliable and timely information is associated with a reduction in patient mortality and morbidity [1]
Our aim was to determine the extent to which existing antimicrobial utilisation and resistance data meet the perceived needs of health care professionals at national, regional and local levels, and how provision could be improved to contribute to the framing of the new UK Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) National Action Plan 2019–2024 [9] published in January 2019
Summary
Providing healthcare professionals with health surveillance data aims to support professional and organisational behaviour change. Al-Haboubi et al BMC Public Health (2020) 20:279 prescribers and other interested parties as soon as possible is to improve the appropriateness of therapy for treating resistant pathogens, to deal with outbreaks effectively and to allow strategies to be formulated to reduce or prevent any further development of resistance [2]. The importance of such data was recognised in the UK in the Five Year Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy 2013 to 2018 [3], which identified “better access to and use of surveillance data” as one of its seven key areas for action. Considerable investment was made in surveillance systems over the life-course of the Strategy [4, 5]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
