Project description - Antibiotics are used to prevent and treat bacterial infections. Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria change over time to no longer respond to antibiotics. As a result of AMR, infections become increasingly difficult or impossible to treat. At this point, no accepted alternative to antibiotics, and thus no solution for AMR exists.

The worrisome increase in AMR is the primary motivation behind the Dutch Antimicrobial Resistance Technology development and Biofilm Assessment Consortium (DARTBAC) project. DARTBAC is an interdisciplinary partnership of all AMR stakeholders, including governmental and non-governmental agencies, researchers, public health practitioners, hospital administrations, policymakers, industry leaders, and patients. Within DARTBAC, new antimicrobial technologies are being developed. For more information on the DARTBAC project, see: https://nwa-dartbac.org/

Job description - One of the aims of the DARTBAC project is to create a better understanding of how to increase AMR awareness and acceptance of new antimicrobial technologies among three target groups: 1. the general public, 2. patients, and 3. healthcare professionals. Three PhD candidates will be investigating one of these target groups. We are currently recruiting the PhD candidate who will focus on the patient perspective. In this project, activities are aimed at investigating the context within which choices regarding prevention and treatment of bacterial infections in orthopedic surgery are made; how and to what extent are patients aware and accepting of possible treatments, to what extent do they want to be involved in decisions, and what are their perspectives?

To understand how patients view AMR, antibiotics, and AMR technologies, and to enhance our understanding of shared decision making regarding AMR, the PhD candidate will:

• conduct Focus Group research and survey research to explore determinants of patient expectations of antibiotics use surrounding orthopedic surgery;
• attempt to understand how patients mentally map (strategies for curbing) AMR by employing systems mapping - a technique to map elements in a system and their interrelatedness;
• use the insights to shape future development of strategies aiding patients in decision-making regarding novel AMR technologies.

Based on these studies we will identify and test the most fitting strategies to increase AMR awareness and acceptance of novel antimicrobial technologies among patients.

The position will give you the opportunity to broaden your research skills and engage in teaching activities at the faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences of Maastricht University.

We are looking for an ambitious and proactive researcher with an analytical mind, good communication skills, and a strong interest in medical decision making and/or the implementation of innovations in the healthcare setting. The position is offered to candidates with an MSc degree in the field of Health Sciences, Communication Sciences, Psychology or a related discipline.

We are especially interested in someone who can connect viewpoints from various perspectives (e.g., the patient and the doctor) and (scientific) disciplines (e.g., Medicine, Biomaterials research, Communication science) and is eager to develop own research ideas. Someone with creativity, independence and decisiveness would be a good fit for this project. As the current project takes place within a large interdisciplinary consortium, the candidate should be eager to network and collaborate. Furthermore, proficiency in the Dutch and English language is required, both in (scientific) writing and speaking. Experience with both qualitative and quantitative research methods will be highly advantageous.

If you recognize yourself in the above description, we are keen to meet you and discuss the possibilities of this project.

Fixed-term contract: 1 + 3 years.

Temporary employment for 4 years. The first year will be a probation period, after a positive assessment the position will be extended for another 3 years, which happens in the vast majority of cases.
Your salary would be € 2.443,- gross per month in the first year up to € 3.122,- gross per month in the fourth year according to the PhD-candidate salary scale. An 8% holiday and an 8.3% year-end allowance is also provided. Each year an evaluation will take place.

In the final phase of the selection procedure, an assessment takes place.
The idea here is that both, the selection Committee as well as the applicant, can make an informed consideration of it to the PhD programme.

The terms of employment of Maastricht University are set out in the Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities (CAO). Furthermore, local UM provisions also apply. For more information look at the website www.maastrichtuniversity.nl > About UM > Working at UM.

Maastricht University

Maastricht University is renowned for its unique, innovative, problem-based learning system, which is characterized by a small-scale and student-oriented approach. Research at UM is characterized by a multidisciplinary and thematic approach, and is concentrated in research institutes and schools. Maastricht University has around 20,000 students and 4,700 employees. Reflecting the university's strong international profile, a fair amount of both students and staff are from abroad. The university hosts 6 faculties: Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Faculty of Law, School of Business and Economics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience. For more information, visit www.maastrichtuniversity.nl

School CAPHRI/Department of Health Promotion

You will have be appointed as a PhD candidate at the Department of Health Promotion, School CAPHRI, Faculty Health, Medicine and Life Sciences. 

CAPHRI provides high quality multidisciplinary research and teaching aimed at the improvement of the individual's quality of life and the population's health through innovation in public health and health care.

Research and teaching in the School are devoted to contribute to improvements in the area of public health and primary care. CAPHRI focuses on interventions in the chain of care, starting with prevention and primary care, and ending with aftercare and rehabilitation. The aim of the research is to get insight into the effectiveness of interventions, and their adequacy in meeting prospective patients' needs.

http://www.caphri.nl

The FHML department of Health Promotion focuses on the promotion of public health and healthy behaviour.
Health is the result of a large number of different factors: heredity and genetics, the social and physical environment, health policies, the care and cure sector, and the behaviour of individuals. Individual behaviour, in turn, is the product of personal preferences but of the same environmental factors as well. Health promotion refers to the process of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve, their health. It moves beyond a focus on individual behaviour towards a wide range of social and environmental interventions. A so-called ecological perspective is adopted, in which determinants of health and of health behaviour at different levels are considered.

https://hp.mumc.maastrichtuniversity.nl/about-health-promotion