Understanding antimicrobial resistance: from measurement to better decision-making
A resident doctor reviews a patient late in the day. The presence of an infection is uncertain. The guidelines are long and complex, and time is limited. The consultant wants a decision. The patient is expecting treatment.
Does the doctor prescribe antibiotics or not?
This is the reality of antimicrobial prescribing in hospitals. Decisions are often made under pressure, shaped not only by clinical evidence but by time constraints, hierarchy and patient expectations. These decisions matter. Every unnecessary or inappropriate prescription contributes, in small but cumulative ways, to a much larger global challenge: antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
AMR occurs when microbes such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites no longer respond to the drugs used to treat them.