TY - JOUR
T1 - Understanding media publics and the antimicrobial resistance crisis
AU - Davis, Mark
AU - Whittaker, Andrea
AU - Lindgren, Mia
AU - Djerf-Pierre, Monika
AU - Manderson, Lenore
AU - Flowers, Paul
N1 - accepted by journal on 22 May 2017
AAM: 18m embargo
LH confirmed ok to accept track changes 7-8-17
PY - 2018
Y1 - 2018
N2 - Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) imperils health for people across the world. This enormous challenge is being met with the rationalisation of prescription, dispensing and consumption of antimicrobials in clinical settings and in the everyday lives of members of the general population. Individuals need to be reached outside clinical settings to prepare them for the necessary changes to the pharmaceutical management of infections; efforts that depend on media and communications and, therefore, how the AMR message is mediated, received and applied. In 2016, the UK Review on Antimicrobial Resistance called on governments to support intense, worldwide media activity to promote public awareness and to further efforts to rationalise the use of antimicrobial pharmaceuticals. In this article, we consider this communications challenge in light of contemporary currents of thought on media publics, including: the tendency of health communications to cast experts and lay individuals in opposition; the blaming of individuals who appear to ‘resist’ expert advice; the challenges presented by negative stories of AMR and their circulation in public life, and; the problems of public trust tied to the construction and mediation of expert knowledge on the effective management of AMR.
AB - Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) imperils health for people across the world. This enormous challenge is being met with the rationalisation of prescription, dispensing and consumption of antimicrobials in clinical settings and in the everyday lives of members of the general population. Individuals need to be reached outside clinical settings to prepare them for the necessary changes to the pharmaceutical management of infections; efforts that depend on media and communications and, therefore, how the AMR message is mediated, received and applied. In 2016, the UK Review on Antimicrobial Resistance called on governments to support intense, worldwide media activity to promote public awareness and to further efforts to rationalise the use of antimicrobial pharmaceuticals. In this article, we consider this communications challenge in light of contemporary currents of thought on media publics, including: the tendency of health communications to cast experts and lay individuals in opposition; the blaming of individuals who appear to ‘resist’ expert advice; the challenges presented by negative stories of AMR and their circulation in public life, and; the problems of public trust tied to the construction and mediation of expert knowledge on the effective management of AMR.
KW - antimicrobial resistance
KW - communications
KW - media
KW - public engagement
KW - trust
U2 - 10.1080/17441692.2017.1336248
DO - 10.1080/17441692.2017.1336248
M3 - Article
SN - 1744-1692
VL - 13
SP - 1158
EP - 1168
JO - Global Public Health
JF - Global Public Health
IS - 9
ER -