A step forward in antibiotic use and resistance monitoring: a quarterly surveillance system pilot in 11 European Union/European Economic Area countries, September 2017 to May 2020

In the European Union/ European Economic Area, surveillance data on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and antimicrobial use (AMU) are collected on an annual basis. We wanted to address the feasibility of developing a quarterly surveillance system for AMU and AMR in both hospitals and primary care.

We identified that 13 of the 17 partners in the pilot project could submit data within 6 months. However, in order to increase the frequency at which AMU and AMR data are provided, committed institutional support, dedicated human resources, and coordination of microbiological and antimicrobial use data sources – which implies common indicators and modern integrated IT systems – are needed.

More frequent AMU and AMR surveillance reporting appears feasible in the EU/EEA to timely inform interventions at local, regional and national levels. However, there are some caveats that should be addressed before quarterly surveillance can be implemented at the European level.