Home  /  Publications  /  Progress on Integrated Antimicrobial Resistance and Antimicrobial Use Surveillance in Canada (2014-2019)

Progress on Integrated Antimicrobial Resistance and Antimicrobial Use Surveillance in Canada (2014-2019)

Publication Summary

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a recognized global threat to health security. Integrated One Health surveillance of AMR and antimicrobial use (AMU) must underpin efforts to protect human, animal, and crop health. In 2014, the National Collaborating Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCCID) published a report commissioned to assess the status of AMR/AMU surveillance in Canada including the authors’ recommendations to address gaps in Canada. In 2016, the Canadian Council of Chief Veterinary Officers (CCVO) released a report evaluating options to strengthen AMU surveillance in animals in Canada that mapped within the AMU surveillance recommendations of the NCCID report.

There have been numerous steps taken in Canada to address AMR since the release of these reports. The objective of this project is to assess the progress made towards the recommendations of these reports by:

  1. Cataloguing AMR/AMU surveillance programs currently operating in Canada nationally and
    provincially.
  2. Describing the scope of these programs.
  3. Evaluating what progress has been made to address the gaps identified in the 2014 NCCID and
    2016 CCVO reports to achieve integrated AMR/AMU surveillance in Canada.

There have been important expansions within existing national surveillance programs (Canadian Nosocomial Infection Surveillance Program and the Canadian Integrated Program for AMR Surveillance), with new data integration and reporting by the Canadian AMR Surveillance System. However, important gaps in the AMR/AMU surveillance “patchwork” in Canada must be addressed to make it a comprehensive, integrated, One Health program.

Our review highlights 3 crucial areas for action:

  1. development of a complete, integrated AMR/AMU surveillance program that builds on current success;
  2. changes in federal-provincial-territorial policies to compel standardized AMR/AMU reporting; and
  3. investment in AMR/AMU surveillance resources (dedicated personnel, funding, and enabling structures and policy).
Appendix 1: 2014 Recommendations for the Development of AMR/AMU Surveillance in CanadaDownload
Appendix 2: Search Strategy for Environmental ScanDownload
Appendix 3: AMR/AMU Surveillance Subject Matter Expert Interview QuestionsDownload
Appendix 4: Full Rationale for RankingsDownload

Related Content

Integrated surveillance of antimicrobial resistance and antimicrobial use: Evaluation of the status in Canada (2014–2019)

One Health Evaluation of Antimicrobial Use and Resistance Surveillance: A Novel Tool for Evaluating Integrated, One Health Antimicrobial Resistance and Antimicrobial Use Surveillance Programs