DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciad634 ISSN: 1058-4838

Methodological Approach to Identify and Expand the Volume of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Data in the Human Health Sector in Low- and Middle-Income Countries in Asia: Implications for Local and Regional AMR Surveillance Systems Strengthening

Hea Sun Joh, Corin Yeats, Alina Shaw, Nimesh Poudyal, Patrick Gallagher, Jong-Hoon Kim, Affan Shaikh, Hye Jin Seo, Kyu-young Kevin Chi, Kristi Prifti, Alyssa Cho, Mohammad Julhas Sujan, Emmanuel Eraly, Kien Duc Pham, Subha Shrestha, Ahmed Taha Aboushady, Gideok Pak, GeunHyeog Jang, Eun Lyeong Park, Hyeong-Won Seo, Khalil Abudahab, Ben E W Taylor, Adam Clark, Brooke Dolabella, Hyein Yoon, Jihyun Han, Soo Young Kwon, Florian Marks, John Stelling, David M Aanensen, William R MacWright, Marianne Holm
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Microbiology (medical)

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a multifaceted global health problem disproportionately affecting low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The Capturing data on Antimicrobial resistance Patterns and Trends in Use in Regions of Asia (CAPTURA) project was tasked to expand the volume of AMR and antimicrobial use data in Asia. The CAPTURA project used 2 data-collection streams: facility data and project metadata. Project metadata constituted information collected to map out data sources and assess data quality, while facility data referred to the retrospective data collected from healthcare facilities. A down-selection process, labelled “the funnel approach” by the project, was adopted to use the project metadata in prioritizing and selecting laboratories for retrospective AMR data collection. Moreover, the metadata served as a guide for understanding the AMR data once they were collected. The findings from CAPTURA's metadata add to the current discourse on the limitation of AMR data in LMICs. There is generally a low volume of AMR data generated as there is a lack of microbiology laboratories with sufficient antimicrobial susceptibility testing capacity. Many laboratories in Asia are still capturing data on paper, resulting in scattered or unused data not readily accessible or shareable for analyses. There is also a lack of clinical and epidemiological data captured, impeding interpretation and in-depth understanding of the AMR data. CAPTURA's experience in Asia suggests that there is a wide spectrum of capacity and capability of microbiology laboratories within a country and region. As local AMR surveillance is a crucial instrument to inform context-specific measures to combat AMR, it is important to understand and assess current capacity-building needs while implementing activities to enhance surveillance systems.

More from our Archive