www.irishtimes.com
(http://www.irishtimes.com/business/technology/new-app-aims-to-improve-prescribing-of-antibiotics1.2015995)
New app aims to improve prescribing of antibiotics
Smartphone app will provide healthcare professionals within the RCSI Hospitals Group with
guidelines for prescribing
Kerrill Thornhill, managing director of Maithu IT Solutions, which developed the app and Dr Eoghan
O’Neill, consultant microbiologist and senior RCSI lecturer at Connolly Hospital, Blanchardstown.
Pamela Newenham
Thu, Nov 27, 2014
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.”