TAG: GS 3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
THE CONTEXT: A project led by the Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, Delhi (IIIT-Delhi), has secured the joint second prize in the Trinity Challenge’s second competition.
EXPLANATION:
- This competition focused on combating the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a critical global health issue.
Trinity Challenge
- The Trinity Challenge is a charitable organization.
- It is dedicated to supporting the development of data-driven solutions to protect against global health threats.
- Its mission is to encourage innovative projects that can address significant health challenges through the use of data and technology.
- The Trinity Challenge is premised on three foundational principles:
- Inclusivity
- Our shared vulnerability to health emergencies means resilience is a global necessity – and our solutions need to be global too.
- Collaboration
- No solo action is likely to provide the answers we need.
- The Trinity Challenge will foster new collaborations across the globe by catalysing the collision between public health and data science, enabling Challenge Teams to connect and contribute insights as global public goods.
- Innovation
- Data can unlock breakthrough discoveries to inform how we should act to improve outcomes – with the right analytical minds and data sources, we can and must develop new ways of protecting ourselves against health emergencies.
- Inclusivity
AMRSense Project
- The project, titled ‘AMRSense: Empowering Communities with a Proactive One Health Ecosystem,’ was spearheaded from IIIT-Delhi.
- The project was a collaborative effort involving CHRI-PATH, 1mg.com, and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
- AMRSense is designed to tackle the significant challenges faced by community health workers (CHWs) in India, particularly ASHA workers.
- These challenges include limited awareness, insufficient training, and low motivation.
- These factors contribute to a substantial gap in community-level AMR data collection and evidence-based management.
Four Major Components of AMRSense
- The AMRSense project comprises four main components aimed at improving AMR surveillance and management at the community level:
- Community Engagement
- AMRSense empowers CHWs with AI-assisted data recording tools, enabling accurate and simplified data collection.
- This approach aims to enhance the engagement, motivation, and training of CHWs in AMR surveillance.
- Data Integration
- The project creates a unified AMR data ecosystem by integrating various data sources, including antibiotic sales, consumption data, and WHONet-compliant surveillance data.
- This integration is achieved using open-source tools and APIs.
- Predictive Analytics
- AMRSense utilizes federated analytics across the OneHealth ecosystem to generate integrative insights on AMR.
- These insights help in understanding and predicting AMR trends, facilitating better management strategies.
- AMRaura Scorecard
- The AMRaura Scorecard is a monitoring and evaluation tool designed to track AMR trends.
- It guides targeted interventions and demonstrates the benefits of comprehensive data collection, providing a clear overview of AMR dynamics.
- Community Engagement
The Impact and Recognition
- In a country like India, where over 900,000 ASHA workers operate, the AMRSense project addresses critical gaps in AMR data collection and management at the community level.
- By empowering CHWs and integrating diverse data sources, the project aims to create a robust AMR surveillance and management system.
Prize and Future Support
- The IIIT-Delhi project shared the second prize with another Indian project, ‘OASIS: OneHealth Antimicrobial Stewardship for Informal Health Systems.’ Each joint second prize winner will receive £600,000 in funding over the next three years.
- Additionally, all winners will benefit from ongoing post-award innovation and scaling support, ensuring the sustainability and expansion of their initiatives.
