What is Antibiotic Resistance (ABR) and why is it an issue?

Antibiotic resistance (ABR) is a naturally occurring phenomenon where a bacterial pathogen evolves or acquires a resistance mechanism or tolerance to survive an antibiotic treatment, i.e. antibiotic pill or injection, that was previously effective. Antibiotics are the most widely prescribed antimicrobial and of primary concern for emerging resistance because of the high levels of overuse and inappropriate use, which is a particular issue in countries where antibiotics are available over the counter, without a prescription.

The Issue

Preventative treatments

Some countries still treat entire herds or flocks as a preventative of infection instead of just ill animals.

No geographical & ecological borders

Antibiotic resistance can impact anyone globally, being spread through movement of people, animals, food and water.

Lack of alternatives

Bacteria will evolve to resist new drugs so new development in vaccines, diagnostics and better prevention control and surveillance is needed.

Bacteria are not visible so it is harder for us to see the spread of bacteria on ourselves, animals, or our environment.
Makes it difficult to effectively prevent and control infection.
Human behaviour is a driver of antibiotic resistance as it determines what infection prevention and control measures we undertake.

Data exists to inform on best practice for using infection control measures, but is often found in journals making it hard to access and implement in the working environment.
Effective communication and training tools are needed to ensure individuals’ understanding of infection prevention and control and their behaviours are in line with scientific recommendations.
Our aim is to change the perception of infection risk through the use of our training tool, VIPVis.

"I think perhaps clinical people will inherently know where the problems are, but maybe ignore them, or forget about them when they’re working"

Macdonald et al., DOI: 10.1080/14606925.2020.1850225

"The emotion most commonly implicated in studies of hand hygiene is disgust. Healthcare workers frequently report that feeling disgusted, dirty, or contaminated by what they have touched, and report that this often motivates them to engage in hand hygiene"

Kupfer et al., DOI: 10.1177/1757177419846286