Temporal Trends in Antimicrobial Resistance within the LATAM/Caribbean Region

Antimicrobial Resistance is a growing global public health threat that undermines the effective treatment of common infections and increases the risk of prolonged illness, complications, and mortality. Despite its importance, systematic and continuous AMR surveillance within the Caribbean remains limited, restricting the ability of clinicians, health authorities, and policymakers to make evidence-based decisions. Strengthening regional AMR surveillance is therefore essential for improving patient care and safeguarding the effectiveness of existing antibiotics.

The proposed research aims to analyze routinely collected, non-identifiable laboratory antimicrobial susceptibility data to describe and monitor patterns of antimicrobial resistance over time. By applying statistical surveillance and trend-analysis methods, the study will identify changes in resistance among common bacterial pathogens and assess how resistance patterns vary by organism, antibiotic, specimen type, and healthcare setting.

This research will help improve patient outcomes by providing clinicians with up-to-date information on local resistance patterns, supporting more appropriate empirical antibiotic selection and reducing treatment failure. It will strengthen antimicrobial stewardship efforts by identifying antibiotics with rising resistance and highlighting areas where prescribing practices may need to be reviewed or optimized.

At the public health level, the findings will inform surveillance-based decision-making, enabling earlier detection of concerning resistance trends and supporting timely public health responses. Finally, the study will strengthen health systems by demonstrating the value of routine laboratory data for AMR surveillance, supporting evidence-based planning, resource allocation, and future surveillance system development within the Caribbean.

Overall, this research seeks to contribute to a more robust, data-driven AMR surveillance framework that supports clinical care, stewardship initiatives, and public health action within my country of Trinidad and Tobago, and perhaps the wider Caribbean.