Stopping Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR): Untangling and grappling with the complex socio-behavioural communication and policy challenges of a truly wicked problem
Summary:
Antimicrobials, especially antibiotics, are the bedrock of modern medicine and perhaps the single most important commodity for securing the health and productivity of millions of people around the world. However, the overuse and misuse of antimicrobials in human and veterinary medicine, as well as, in agriculture and food production, has rendered even the antimicrobials of last resort ineffective. A problem of truly epic scale Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), i.e. the emergence and spread of drug-resistant pathogens -- threatens to kill, by 2050, an estimated 10 million people annually and result in a $ 100 trillion loss in global GDP. A post-antibiotic era, when even the simplest of infections would be rendered untreatable, is very real and unfolding day by day. A rapid desk review of current AMR socio-behavioural and communication research, including analyses of various SBCC-driven AMR interventions and policies, have identified that: Although the current framing of the AMR problem has gained some political traction and achieved remarkable successes among the HICs, it is unlikely to impact LMICs in any meaningful manner and a re-framing of the issue is urgently required AMR needs to be understood as a super-wicked problem, and that current SBCC approaches, the available/on-going AMR socio-behavioural research, and the present communication partnership arrangements to stop AMR, will need to be dramatically expanded in scope, scale, and depth, to avert a post-antibiotic era. It may also be useful to explore and harness the potential of Complexity Science, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data Analytics, and Machine Learning, for tackling AMR.
Background/Objectives:
Antimicrobials, especially antibiotics, are the bedrock of modern medicine and for securing the health of millions of people. However, the overuse and misuse of antimicrobials in human and veterinary medicine, as well as, in agriculture and food production, has rendered even the antimicrobials of last resort ineffective. The proposed session will present a big picture critique of the AMR risk management and communication policy landscape; highlight the complex socio-behavioural challenges impeding efforts to prevent the emergence and spread of drug-resistant pathogens; and elicit ideas on new SBCC approaches and partnerships that can catalyse rapid transformational change at a global level.
Description of the Big Idea/Experience/Innovation and Its Importance to the SBCC Field:
The emergence and spread of AMR are largely driven by human actions and behaviours. Today, nearly 700,000 people die each year of drug-resistant infections; and it is estimated, that by 2050, AMR will kill 10 million people annually and result in a $ 100 trillion loss in global GDP. The threat of a post-antibiotic era, when even the simplest of infections would be rendered untreatable, is unfolding day by day. Based on personal experience as a policy advocacy and SBCC practitioner, and a rapid purposive desk review of current AMR research, systematic reviews, key reports from WHO, FAO, OIE, the Wellcome Trust, LSHTM, the World Bank, CDC and selected peer-reviewed journal articles, the proposed session aims to: Argue that although the current framing of the AMR problem has gained some political traction and successes among HICs, it is unlikely to impact LMICs in any meaningful manner and a re-framing of the issue is urgently required. Make the case that AMR needs to be understood as a super-wicked problem, and that current SBCC approaches, the available/on-going AMR socio-behavioural research, and the present communication partnership arrangements, all need to be dramatically expanded in scope, scale, and depth to avert a post-antibiotic era.
Discussion/Implications for the Field:
The session is expected to challenge current SBCC thinking among practitioners/researchers, and generate discussions around: Is framing AMR as a wicked problem appropriate? Does it improve our analysis or help design more effective interventions? Are current SBCC approaches, frameworks, and tools sufficient for tackling AMR? What new socio-behavioural research and mechanisms for data sharing/uptake are required to influence policy for tackling AMR effectively? In what way can emerging technologies such as Artificial intelligence, Big Data Analytics, and Machine Learning help tackle AMR? What new skills, knowledge, and expertise should SBCC practitioners seek to acquire for grappling with wicked problems?
Abstract submitted by:
Satyajit Sarkar
Antimicrobials, especially antibiotics, are the bedrock of modern medicine and perhaps the single most important commodity for securing the health and productivity of millions of people around the world. However, the overuse and misuse of antimicrobials in human and veterinary medicine, as well as, in agriculture and food production, has rendered even the antimicrobials of last resort ineffective. A problem of truly epic scale Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), i.e. the emergence and spread of drug-resistant pathogens -- threatens to kill, by 2050, an estimated 10 million people annually and result in a $ 100 trillion loss in global GDP. A post-antibiotic era, when even the simplest of infections would be rendered untreatable, is very real and unfolding day by day. A rapid desk review of current AMR socio-behavioural and communication research, including analyses of various SBCC-driven AMR interventions and policies, have identified that: Although the current framing of the AMR problem has gained some political traction and achieved remarkable successes among the HICs, it is unlikely to impact LMICs in any meaningful manner and a re-framing of the issue is urgently required AMR needs to be understood as a super-wicked problem, and that current SBCC approaches, the available/on-going AMR socio-behavioural research, and the present communication partnership arrangements to stop AMR, will need to be dramatically expanded in scope, scale, and depth, to avert a post-antibiotic era. It may also be useful to explore and harness the potential of Complexity Science, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data Analytics, and Machine Learning, for tackling AMR.
Background/Objectives:
Antimicrobials, especially antibiotics, are the bedrock of modern medicine and for securing the health of millions of people. However, the overuse and misuse of antimicrobials in human and veterinary medicine, as well as, in agriculture and food production, has rendered even the antimicrobials of last resort ineffective. The proposed session will present a big picture critique of the AMR risk management and communication policy landscape; highlight the complex socio-behavioural challenges impeding efforts to prevent the emergence and spread of drug-resistant pathogens; and elicit ideas on new SBCC approaches and partnerships that can catalyse rapid transformational change at a global level.
Description of the Big Idea/Experience/Innovation and Its Importance to the SBCC Field:
The emergence and spread of AMR are largely driven by human actions and behaviours. Today, nearly 700,000 people die each year of drug-resistant infections; and it is estimated, that by 2050, AMR will kill 10 million people annually and result in a $ 100 trillion loss in global GDP. The threat of a post-antibiotic era, when even the simplest of infections would be rendered untreatable, is unfolding day by day. Based on personal experience as a policy advocacy and SBCC practitioner, and a rapid purposive desk review of current AMR research, systematic reviews, key reports from WHO, FAO, OIE, the Wellcome Trust, LSHTM, the World Bank, CDC and selected peer-reviewed journal articles, the proposed session aims to: Argue that although the current framing of the AMR problem has gained some political traction and successes among HICs, it is unlikely to impact LMICs in any meaningful manner and a re-framing of the issue is urgently required. Make the case that AMR needs to be understood as a super-wicked problem, and that current SBCC approaches, the available/on-going AMR socio-behavioural research, and the present communication partnership arrangements, all need to be dramatically expanded in scope, scale, and depth to avert a post-antibiotic era.
Discussion/Implications for the Field:
The session is expected to challenge current SBCC thinking among practitioners/researchers, and generate discussions around: Is framing AMR as a wicked problem appropriate? Does it improve our analysis or help design more effective interventions? Are current SBCC approaches, frameworks, and tools sufficient for tackling AMR? What new socio-behavioural research and mechanisms for data sharing/uptake are required to influence policy for tackling AMR effectively? In what way can emerging technologies such as Artificial intelligence, Big Data Analytics, and Machine Learning help tackle AMR? What new skills, knowledge, and expertise should SBCC practitioners seek to acquire for grappling with wicked problems?
Abstract submitted by:
Satyajit Sarkar
Source
Approved abstract for the postponed 2020 SBCC Summit in Marrakech, Morocco. Provided by the International Steering Committee for the Summit. Image credit: Richard Nyberg, USAID via Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0)