Study aims to raise public awareness into the dangers of antibiotic overuse

A united effort is needed to conserve existing antibiotics and ensure they keep working for longer says Dr Eva Krockow.  

The researcher from the University of Leicester has been awarded £260,000 by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) to develop effective communications around the reduction of antibiotic use. 

Unless we do so, she says: “We are facing a healthcare abyss with drug resistant infections predicted to cause 10 million annual deaths by 2050 – more than all types of cancer combined.” 

Germs, such as bacteria, are developing stronger genes that mean they no longer respond to existing drugs such as antibiotics, leading to drug resistant infections and illnesses that cannot be cured with current medication.

In other words, she said: “Each time we use antibiotics, they lose some of their effectiveness for treating future infections. To conserve existing antibiotics and ensure they keep working for longer, a united public effort is needed. We must reduce the use of antibiotics when they are not necessary.”

Dr Krockow, a lecturer and lead of the Health and Wellbeing (with Ageing) Research Group in the School of Psychology and Vision Sciences, added: “Unfortunately, many people are unaware of the risks associated with antibiotic overuse and this can lead them to disregard doctors’ advice or to hoard antibiotics.

“Our goal is to develop new, global information materials to radically change the way the public thinks about antimicrobial resistance. Effective communication can highlight the risks and misunderstandings to those with little or no medical knowledge and that’s precisely what this project seeks to do. 

“Specifically, we’ll be focusing on the use of metaphors as a linguistic tool to help people develop a more concrete understanding of a very abstract, medical topic. We’ll be working closely with international experts in public health, medical charities and hospitals as well as focus groups with doctors and patients to really help us understand the right language to use to get our message across.”

Healthcare contexts within the UK and South Africa will form part of the research to ensure different disease burdens are taken into account along with international insights into risk communication. 

Dr Krockow will begin her work next year alongside co-investigator, Professor Marc Mendelson at the University of Cape Town.

She said: “The main project outcome will be carefully designed, tried and tested communication materials that can be used by governments, health organisations, charities, media and doctors internationally to raise awareness about antimicrobial resistance, inform patients how antibiotics work, and change the way we use them.  

“We hope that improved health messaging will lead to greater uptake by the public and help in the fight against antimicrobial resistance.

"Not only that but these insights could be applied to other areas of risk communication, helping to transform campaigns about pandemics or climate change.”