Tweetchat: Why does Patient Advocacy matter to Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)?

Why does Patient Advocacy matter to Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)?

Joining Details

Moderator: Natalie Vestin (@CIDRAP) and Vanessa Carter (@theAMRnarrative)
Date: 18 July 2023
Where: Twitter
Time: 3 pm GMT (5 pm CEST/CAT, 4 pm BST, 11 am EDT)
Hashtag to use: #theAMRnarrative

How to participate:
Join us for a 60-minute Twitter chat with our panel experts. All stakeholders are welcome.

Start your answers with T1, T2, T3, T4, or CT for transcript purposes.
Answer only after the moderator prompts. Questions will be prompted every 10 minutes but keep answers coming using the relevant T and number. Both panel experts and the public are encouraged to answer.

Use the #theAMRnarrative hashtag in all your tweets so that you are visible to others in the chat and captured on the transcript.

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Overview

Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) is a global public health crisis that has the potential to cause serious harm to individuals, communities, and nations. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that by 2050, drug-resistant infections could cause 10 million deaths annually, surpassing cancer as a leading cause of death.

Patient advocacy is key to tackling AMR and comes in all shapes and sizes, whether that be through advocating for yourself or advocating for others, it’s important for several reasons.

Firstly, patients and their families are often the first to be affected by AMR. When a patient is infected with a drug-resistant strain of bacteria, it can be a devastating and costly experience for both the patient and their loved ones. Patients who develop AMR infections may experience longer hospital stays, more intensive treatments, higher healthcare costs, and the increased risk of disability or even death. By speaking out about their experiences and raising awareness about the issue, patients and their families can help to create a sense of urgency around the need to tackle AMR.

Secondly, patient, and public advocacy can help to promote the appropriate use of antibiotics. One of the main drivers of AMR is the overuse and misuse of antimicrobials (e.g. antibiotics) not only in human health settings like hospitals but also in animals and food production. Patients sometimes pressure healthcare providers to prescribe antibiotics when they are not necessary, and healthcare providers sometimes prescribe antibiotics when they are not indicated. This can lead to the development of drug-resistant bacteria, which can spread to other patients and the community. Advocating for the appropriate use of antimicrobials, patients and their families can help to reduce the incidence of AMR.

Thirdly, patient and public advocacy can help to promote the development of new antimicrobials and other technologies like Phage therapy to combat AMR. The development of new antimicrobials has been slow in recent years, due in part to a lack of financial incentives for pharmaceutical companies. By raising awareness about the urgent need for new therapies and advocating for increased funding for research and development, patients and their families can help to spur innovation in this area.

In addition, patient and public advocacy can also help to shape policy and practice around AMR. Governments and healthcare systems play a critical role in addressing the issue of AMR, and patient and public advocacy can help to influence their actions. By speaking out about the need for better surveillance, infection prevention, control measures, and other interventions, patients and their families can help to ensure that policymakers and healthcare providers prioritise the fight against AMR.

Most importantly, by raising our voices, we assume a vital role in supporting others who encounter similar situations to gain a deeper understanding of their own experiences.

Everyone’s voice matters.

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Questions:
T1: Which patient groups or disease areas are key to patient advocacy for Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)?
T2: Why is patient advocacy so important to tackle Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)?
T3: What different ways can patients play a role in advocating for Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)?
T4: What barriers are there to improving patient advocacy for Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) in different disease or patient groups?
T5: How do you think others like health professionals or governments could benefit from patient advocacy for Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)?
CT: Any thoughts you would like to add about the role of patient advocacy for Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)?

___________________________________________________________________________________________

How to participate:

Join us for a 60-minute Twitter chat with our panel experts. All stakeholders are welcome.

Start your answers with T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, or CT for transcript purposes.
Answer only after the moderator prompts. Questions will be prompted every 10 minutes but keep answers coming using the relevant T and number. Both panel experts and the public are encouraged to answer.

Use the #theAMRnarrative hashtag in all your tweets so that you are visible to others in the chat and captured on the transcript.

More can be read about this event at the CIDRAP website here.

Notes: Prior to the event, review the University of Minnesota’s Social Media House Rules for a code of conduct applicable to this event.