Antimicrobial Resistance #1 – What do you think about AMR? Stakeholders’ views

Author(s)

Irene Drymiotou and Constantinos P. Constantinou

Institution(s)

University of Cyprus

This activity explores AMR from the perspective of different stakeholders in order to document the issue, elaborate on the challenges to be addressed and practice critical thinking. Authentic media items are provided to students, representing the positions of different societal actors. The goal is to raise awareness of the issue and reflect on the credibility of the information using an information literacy test. It is important to note that the activity is introduced after an initial brainstorming to get students familiar with basic facts and knowledge related to bacteria, antibiotics and resistance.

Age

  • 12
  • 13
  • 14
  • 15

Topic

  • Antimicrobial resistance

Duration

  • Between 1-2 hours

Students’ resources

The students are divided into the following stakeholder groups (i.e., a group that has a stake in relation to AMR): policymakers, pharmacists, farmers, patients, academia, media. Each group receives authentic media items in form of an article. They proceed to read and summarise the information on a piece of paper or using Google Documents. It is worth noting that relevance to the local context (when possible) was a basic criterion when choosing authentic media. Below there is a list of the media items used in Cyprus, where this activity was originally developed. 

StakeholdersAuthentic media
Policymakers  When should I take antibiotics?Key messages for hospital prescribers
AcademiaInterview with a professor Antibiotic Use and Antibiotic Resistance: Public Awareness Survey in the Republic of CyprusNo money for new drugs
FarmersAntibiotic use in Cyprus’ animal farming is eight times recommended limit (Updated) | Cyprus Mail (cyprus-mail.com)Paradise Lost: The Impact of the Emergence of Antimicrobial Resistance on Food Safety
PatientsTestimonial 1Testimonial 2
MediaIncreased consumption of antibiotics in CyprusOver 1.2 mln people died from drug-resistant infections in 2019 Antimicrobial resistance a ‘key priority’, says health minister

Teachers’ resources

The students are guided to summarise the information retrieved from the authentic media answering questions: What, Who, When, Why. The teacher links this exercise to the TAAP test that guides the students to evaluate the information retrieved according to Timing, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose. Each group presents a summary of the important information in class and comes up with conclusions on whether the information is trustworthy.

The TAAP test is an adjusted version of the CRAAP test, an information literacy test.