Equity AMR

Empirically Analysing ‘Equity’ in AMR Intervention Research

EquityAMR is an interdisciplinary project informed by systems thinking. The project aims to examine the interactions and relationships among surveillance, diagnosis, and treatment in the context of antimicrobial resistance. This analysis is situated within the context of social structures such as literacy, poverty and caste, the violence they create and how these influence processes of AMR- related healthcare care access and utilization for people. The project will develop and implement various interventions related to digital surveillance and use this data to inform the development of antibiotics stewardship policy and clinical practice of empirical therapy.

Project Period

2021 - 2025

Funded by

The Research Council of Norway

Empirical Sites

Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala

This AMR intervention research examines the intersection of social determinants and antimicrobial resistance, focusing on innovative interventions and policy implications. It addresses community-level practices such as access to antimicrobials, point-of-care diagnostics in rural areas, and patient-level AST test results. At the institutional level, it explores prescription audits, stock movement tracking, routine data practices, and adaptive behaviors among healthcare providers. Emphasizing health literacy, the study promotes co-production of sustainable AMR practices across both community and institutional settings.

Research Approach

This research focuses on analyzing equity in Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) intervention strategies by exploring how health inequities impact AMR understanding and designing effective interventions. It examines drivers of health disparities, barriers, and facilitators to sustainable health practices across community, institutional, and individual levels. Key areas include enhancing point-of-care diagnostics, antimicrobial susceptibility tests, public awareness, and institutional practices like prescription auditing and data management. The study investigates antibiotic resistance patterns, prescription behaviors, diagnostic practices, and their correlation with resistance rates while leveraging data to strengthen AMR policies through participatory processes and compliance monitoring. Additionally, it emphasizes health literacy as a social practice, addressing sociocultural barriers and enablers to promote sustainable implementation strategies, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

Partners

Karolinska Institute, Sweden
Karolinska Institute, Sweden
SCTIMST, Kerala
SCTIMST, Kerala
University of Oslo, Norway
University of Oslo, Norway
RD Gardi Medical College, Ujjain
RD Gardi Medical College
PGIMER, Chandigarh
PGIMER, Chandigarh
Doctors for You
Doctors for You
SHE, UiO, Oslo
SHE, UiO, Oslo
HISP India
HISP India

Publications

#TitlePublicationYearUrl
1Social and cultural determinants of antibiotics prescriptions: analysis from a public community health centre in North IndiaFrontiers in Pharmacology2024View
2Systems thinking based approaches to engage with health inequities shaping Antimicrobial Resistance in low and lower-middle-income countriesJournal of Infection and Public Health2023View
4Assessing feasibility of point-of-care Antibiotics Susceptibility Testing technologies for mitigating access gaps for peripheral communities 2023View
3Digital Monitoring of Antibiotic Resistance (ABR) in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Narrative Literature ReviewScandinavian Conference on Health Informatics2022View
5Strengthening digital monitoring of antibiotic resistance in low-resource settingsJournal of Global Health2022View
6Designing an Antibiotics Resistance (ABR) monitoring system to strengthen the evidence base for facilitating responsible antibiotics prescription by physicians: A case study from IndiaICIS 20222022View
7Routinizing practices and stabilizing institutional work: A case of digital monitoring of Antibiotic Resistance (ABR) in IndiaCommunications of the Association for Information Systems2022View
8Designing for Scale: Strengthening Surveillance of Antimicrobial Resistance in Low Resource SettingsIFIP Joint Working Conference on the Future of Digital Work: The Challenge of Inequality (IFIPJWC)2022View

Team

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