Health Technology Assessment of a decision support system to tackle antimicrobial resistance

I will be part of a research team collaborating in a national multicentre prospective trial (ARON study) on the antibiotic prescribing rate in acutely ill children across Belgium. Children become ill quite often, mainly caused by infections, most of which can be managed safely in the community without the need for antibiotics. However, many children have prescribed antibiotics which contributes to antimicrobial resistance and reinforces health-seeking behaviour. The ARON study aims to strengthen the assessment of acutely ill children in primary care, by introducing an evidence-based decision support system that can help GPs decide when to withhold antibiotic treatment. This will be done by describing and evaluating how the intervention has impacted GP behaviour and decision-making. I will mainly focus on theory and methods of health technology assessment, process evaluation and cost-effectiveness analysis and apply these to the concrete intervention.