Translating trial evidence to practice and policy: interventions to reduce antibiotics overuse in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs)

 

This talk will explore the landscape of educational, behavioral, and technological interventions aimed at reducing the inappropriate use of antibiotics in primary care facilities globally. Focus will then turn to two recently randomized controlled trials in China’s rural primary health facilities employing educational tools, stewardship programs and eHealth interventions. Both trials have achieved a large effect size in reducing antibiotic prescribing for acute respiratory infections. Dr. Wei will share experiences and insights from China, Pakistan and Cambodia, in order to demonstrate how research evidence can be translated into impactful clinical and public health practices in LMICs. The talk will emphasize the importance of collaboration with local stakeholders and will discuss strategies for co-designing interventions to influence national policies to drive sustainable improvements in healthcare delivery and outcomes.

 

Dr. Xiaolin Wei, MD, MPH, PhD is a medically trained public health specialist, a tenured Full Professor and the inaugural Dalla Lana Chair of Global Health Policy at the University of Toronto, Canada.  In 2022, he was elected as a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (FCAHS), one of the highest honours for medical science academics in Canada. Dr. Wei has led research using implementation science methodologies to change clinical practice and impact health policies in areas of antimicrobial resistance, tuberculosis control and diabetes/hypertension care. He is the faculty co-lead of implementation science in the University of Toronto. He has published nearly 200 peer-reviewed research papers in journals, including The Lancet and its series. He has led over C$13m in research funding as the principal investigator from NIHR, MRC, DFID (UK), CIHR, IDRC (Canada), StopTB Partnership and Hong Kong Research Grants Council. He served as a Board Member, Secretary General, and Vice President of the International Union of Lung Disease from 2012-2023. He also holds adjunct/visiting professorship with the Johns Hopkins University, USA, the University of St. Andrews, the University of Leeds, UK, Peking University, Fudan University, Sun Yet San University, Sichuan University, and Xi’an Jiaotong University, China.