A new smartphone app aims to improve the prescribing of antibiotics.
The app, which is available on iOS and Android, was developed by the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) in conjunction with the Dublin North East Healthcare-Associated Infection Committee.
It will provide healthcare professionals in hospitals within the RCSI Hospitals Group with immediate access to guidelines for antimicrobial prescribing.
The guidelines, which vary by hospitals, will help ensure appropriate antibiotic prescribing and improve patient outcomes. They will also help combat the ongoing threat of antibiotic resistance.
“It will provide advice on dosage and what to use for a given infection, and should lead to better treatment for patients and better outcomes,” said consultant microbiologist and RCSI lecturer Eoghan O’Neill.
Antibiotic overuse
Dr O’Neill also said that international studies indicate an overuse of antibiotics in the healthcare sector. Antibiotics don’t work against infections caused by viruses, such as colds and influenza, he noted.
Furthermore, inappropriate prescribing and overuse of such medication has led to a rise in antibiotic resistance both nationally and internationally.
“We hope that this technology will promote the safe and effective use of antimicrobials for our patients while minimising the emergence of microbial resistance in the wider Irish community,” Dr O’Neill said.
The app will be rolled out in the RCSI Hospitals group, which includes Beaumont Hospital, Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, Cavan & Monaghan Hospital, the Rotunda Hospital, Connolly Hospital, and Louth County Hospital.
Antibiotic resistance is a problem for hospitals and the spread of resistant bacteria within hospitals is a major issue for patient safety, said RCSI Hospitals Group chief executive Bill Maher.
“Antibiotics are a precious medical resource,” he said. “Their appropriate use, which will help to be facilitated by this project, is a vital requirement in delivering safe patient care and addressing the challenge of increasing antibiotic resistance.”
