Antimicrobial Resistance: Socioeconomic Aspects and Roadmap for Mitigation

Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has become a worldwide concern because it degrades public health along with elevating mortality numbers and producing economic strain. Massive use of antibiotics has resulted in numerous antibiotic treatments becoming ineffective thereby making it harder to treat different infections. Objective: This review evaluates economic and clinical effects of AMR and searches for reduction methods and implements practical solutions to fight this problem, solutions to counter the issue. Methods: Current publications, international reports, and recognized articles were evaluated through a literature search conducted in 2015-2024 using PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar databases. We focused on peer-reviewed studies, systematic reviews and reports about AMR mechanisms, epidemiology, economic impact mitigation as well as mitigation efforts irrelevant or low-quality studies were excluded. XX studies were selected based on relevance and credibility, including qualitative synthesis to provide insights into trends and mitigation approaches to AMR. Results: It has been observed that the growing issue of AMR is a result of increased use of broad-spectrum antibiotics, lack of laws governing their use, and absence of enforcement of proper laws. Three effective management methods exist for these factors through antibiotic stewardship programs along with phage therapy and international cooperation to control them. Studies conducted on multi-drug-resistant bacteria from ESKAPE pathogens show that antibiotic treatment with phages enhances bacterial removal and decreases antibiotic resistance rates. Conclusion: Studies prove that AMR success depends on simultaneous measures of monitoring and antibiotic controls and efficiency in drug creation and international teamwork. The continued excellence of antibiotics depends on strengthening currently available drug control programs for infection prevention purposes.