“I’m hearing you but I’m not listening!” Improving communication in the veterinary and medical advisory context towards engagement in reduced antimicrobial use (AMU)
Project leader: Clare Phythian, NMBU, Norge
Project deputy leader: Gabriela Olmos Antillon, SLU, Sverige
Project period: 2020-2021
Network meeting: 3–4th of June 2021, agenda and registration
Find the network on Researchgate
Telling people what to do by merely giving “correct” practical advice, underpinned by research, is not necessarily enough to engage the recommendation’s active implementation. Modifying inappropriate antibiotic selection and targeting necessary AMU requires understanding the motivations or the individual and sociocultural context to influence sustainable and positive behaviour change. Education around OneHealth issues such as AMU/AMR demands that veterinary and medical sectors have in-built communication training that facilitates optimal AMU decision-making, regardless of the scenario.
This network is a novel attempt to build a cross-Nordic-country network of veterinary and medical education around improving communication in the advisory context to support behaviour change towards reduced and more sustainable AMU practices.
The outputs of this network include setting up the network group, a knowledge transfer network event, a podcast and a webinar to share experiences about the current tools/strategies in Nordic countries for reducing AMU in the veterinary sector with a focus on those framed by improved communication.
With them, we aim to depolarise a debate about the success/failure of ongoing activities across countries and instead promote a strategy to revise and strengthen efforts that support improved communication between vets, medics, producers and communication specialists. We aim to highlight opportunities and approaches for improved communication on AMU that goes away from merely “telling” people what they should do and towards more empathetic strategies in listening and learning from those we aim to advise.