Sector Groups

Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and Healthcare Associated Infections (HAIS)

Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and Healthcare Associated Infections (HAI) are among the biggest global public health challenges of our time. These infections cause significant morbidity and mortality, put pressure on health systems, and incur rising direct and indirect costs.
Medical technologies can help to address these problems by preventing, detecting, monitoring and managing infections and resistance.

Pathogen growth on selective media.

Across the EU, 25,000 people die each year from drug resistant infections[1]. Worldwide, this number will increase to 10 million by 2050[2]. This is 1.8 million more deaths than those attributed to cancer. Not only will this impact patient safety and recovery, but it risks going back to a ‘pre-antibiotic era’, where patients could die from simple bacterial infections and life-saving treatments can no longer be performed safely.

The challenge of AMR is closely linked to HAIs. In fact, HAIs are often caused by resistant bacteria[3], but the occurrence of an infection in the first place can also increase the risk of developing resistant strains.

The effective use of diagnostic tests and medical devices can help to address these challenges by:

  • Preventing and containing healthcare-associated infections and the development and spread of resistant bacteria in healthcare settings to manage antimicrobial resistance.
  • Detecting and identifying bacterial infections and their susceptibility to medication, therefore avoiding the misuse or overuse of antibiotics.
  • Monitoring and tracking resistance and enabling patient compliance to the appropriate use of antibiotics.
  • Outbreak Management and surveillance to track, contain and prevent the spread of pathogens at local, hospital, regional, national and international level.

[1] European Commission: Antimicrobial Resistance http://ec.europa.eu/health/amr/antimicrobial-resistance_en
[2] UK Government Review on Antimicrobial Resistance.https://amr-review.org/
[3] ECDC: AMR and HAIs https://ecdc.europa.eu/en/about-us/who-we-are/disease-programmes/antimicrobial-resistance-and-healthcare-associated

The European Patient Group on Antimicrobial Resistance

Click below to learn more.

  • The European Patient Group on Antimicrobial Resistance

    The European Patient Group on Antimicrobial Resistance

    Since 2020, MedTech Europe supports the European Patient Group on Antimicrobial Resistance which represents national patient associations across Europe. It aims to address the gap in awareness at the patient level about the danger of antibiotic misuse and the lack of effective infection prevention measures. It is the voice of European patients whose aim is to empower citizens with the necessary knowledge about antimicrobial resistance so that everyone understands when it is appropriate to take antibiotics and how to take them responsibly.

    Key objectives are designed to:

    1. Raise patient awareness about AMR and healthcare-associated infections to help reduce antibiotic misuse;
    2. Build a consistent patient voice across Europe to advocate for national policies to tackle AMR and healthcare-associated infections;
    3. Broaden the AMR debate to include infection prevention and control measures.

    For more information on the AMR Patient Group visit the official website at https://amrpatientgroup.eu/

AMR minisite

Click on the link below and find out more about the role of medtech in fighting AMR.

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Testing Times: we have the tools to meet next healthcare challenges

Posted on 25.11.2021

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