title: AmWeb: a novel interactive web tool for antimicrobial resistance surveillance, applicable to both community and hospital patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is recognized as one of the most significant threats to human health. Local and regional AMR surveillance enables the monitoring of temporal changes in susceptibility to antibiotics and can provide prescribing guidance to healthcare providers to improve patient management and help slow the spread of antibiotic resistance in the community. There is currently a paucity of routine community-level AMR surveillance information.
  
  
  METHODS
  The HPA in England sponsored the development of an AMR surveillance system (AmSurv) to collate local laboratory reports. In the West Midlands region of England, routine reporting of AMR data has been established via the AmSurv system from all diagnostic microbiology laboratories. The HPA Regional Epidemiology Unit developed a web-enabled database application (AmWeb) to provide microbiologists, pharmacists and other stakeholders with timely access to AMR data using user-configurable reporting tools.
  
  
  RESULTS
  AmWeb was launched in the West Midlands in January 2012 and is used by microbiologists and pharmacists to monitor resistance profiles, perform local benchmarking and compile data for infection control reports. AmWeb is now being rolled out to all English regions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is expected that AmWeb will become a valuable tool for monitoring the threat from newly emerging or currently circulating resistant organisms and helping antibiotic prescribers to select the best treatment options for their patients.
authors.affiliation: Public Health England, Regional Epidemiology Unit, Birmingham, UK.
authors.forename: Dean
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ironmonger
authors.forename: Obaghe
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Edeghere
authors.forename: Savita
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gossain
authors.forename: Amardeep
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bains
authors.forename: Peter M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Hawkey
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D004739:England; D062665:Epidemiological Monitoring; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents
keywords: antibiotics; health informatics; microbiology