Establishment of national laboratory based surveillance of antibiotic resistance

Overview

Laboratory-based antimicrobial resistance (‎AMR)‎ surveillance data helps to monitor susceptibility patterns of microorganisms to antimicrobial agents and reveals the antimicrobial resistance status. This can provide reliable data for utilization by policy-makers or health administrators to review and revise the recommendations for empirical treatment for community or hospital-acquired infection. It is clear that an efficient national surveillance system for AMR can play a critical role in improving the efficacy of health services and reduce mortality and morbidity due to infectious diseases. This document provides essential information on key elements of laboratory-based national surveillance programme for AMR and its utilization for prevention and containment of AMR.