Antimicrobial Resistance & Stewardship

Following their introduction over half a century ago, Intensive Care Units (ICUs) have played an invaluable role in caring for patients who are critically ill or seriously injured. However, infections such as healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are a common problem in the ICU, resulting in the frequent use and sometimes overuse of life-saving antibiotics in those settings. While antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a process that naturally occurs over time, it is important to note that the overuse and misuse of antibiotics, even when utilized in intensive care environments, is contributing to the further emergence of resistant pathogens.

Antibiotics have proven to be essential, life-saving medicines. However, their misuse and overuse have become widespread, contributing to the rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).1 Today, patients are at risk of premature death due to AMR, and we are in a race to protect modern medicine.

Worldwide escalation in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has sparked fear of a looming post-antimicrobial era. Antibiotic overuse and inappropriate use—including over-prescribing, inaccurate, and suboptimal prescribing—promotes bacterial evolution and resistance to treatment. Data suggests that there were an estimated 4.95 million deaths associated with bacterial AMR in 2019. The World Bank estimates that AMR could result in 1 trillion dollars in additional healthcare costs by 2050 if actions are not taken now to curb growing resistance.

Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) is a term that is not widely recognised by many people globally. What’s even more concerning is that those who are most affected by AMR—patients and their families—are often the ones who lack that awareness and rely on understanding its consequences.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been identified as an increasing threat to modern medicine, leading to higher treatment costs and increased morbidity and mortality.1 The misuse of broad-spectrum antibiotics is a major contributor to the rise of AMR — particularly in emergency care, where studies have estimated that 40% to 60% of antibiotics are inappropriately prescribed.2 To understand the cause of this disparity, it is important to provide context on the many unique facets of the emergency department, while exploring how comprehensive antimicrobial stewardship could improve prescribing practices.