Proof-of-principle antimicrobial resistance routine diagnostics surveillance project (PoP project) (2018)

The Central Asian and Eastern European Surveillance of Antimicrobial Resistance Network (CAESAR) aims to address the lack of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance data in parts of the WHO European Region. Implementation of the Proof-of-Principle routine diagnostics project for antimicrobial resistance surveillance (PoP project) assists a country in building capacity to routinely perform antibiotic susceptibility testing at local hospital laboratories and at national reference laboratory level, by stimulating the utilization of blood culture diagnostics. This protocol provides the project coordination team with detailed information for the implementation of the project, including methods, standard operating procedures, and expected outputs of the project. As a result of the project, baseline data on the main pathogens causing blood stream infections and their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns will become available, providing clinicians with information needed to make antibiotic treatment choices. The collaboration between hospital laboratories and the national reference laboratory developed during the project lays down the foundation for a national AMR surveillance network.