AMID increased reporting of antibiotic resistance (ABR) worldwide, local health experts have called on South African doctors and the public to participate more fully in and support efforts aimed at curbing the growing threat of antibiotic resistant superbugs in our country.
According to medical experts, such as Dr Dean Gopalan, president of the Critical Care Society of SA and Head of Critical Care at the University of KZN, in general, doctors tend to err on the side of caution by prescribing antibiotics, but with the growing incidence of ABR, it is critical that doctors limit the prescribing of antibiotics to only those whose condition demands it or else it could soon render antibiotics ineffective.
“Reported cases of ABR have already reached well beyond tuberculosis in SA, which affects an estimated 450 000 South Africans per annum,” Gopalan said.
He highlighted the need to employ multiple strategies to minimise ABR and singled out BugWise – an innovative app designed to curb the growing threat of antibiotic resistance as an important intervention that every doctor and patient should support.
“Without the widespread adoption and participation from patients and doctors, the impact of initiatives such as BugWise would be negligible.
“ABR requires the attention of every healthcare practitioner, as well as the general public. If left unchecked, it could claim 10 million lives per annum by 2050,” he said.
The BugWise app, conceived and developed by Pharma Dynamics with input from a broad range of medical and IT experts, in support of Antibiotic Stewardship, is a one-stop-app for doctors and patients alike.
“The app will help healthcare practitioners in private and public healthcare settings to optimise treatment while minimising antibiotic resistance.
“Furthermore, it allows doctors access to currently available ABR surveillance data in South Africa, provided by the SA Society of Clinical Microbiologists (SASCM), the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) and other relevant local publications.”
With this information, they can identify patterns of antibiotic sensitivities in their geographical area of practice.
Patients will also benefit from the BugWise app by researching information about their condition, along with the medication they have been prescribed. The app also adequately educates patients about antibiotics and the dangers associated with incorrect use. Most importantly, the BugWise app has a medicine reminder function, to ensure patient compliance and hence reduce the risk of resistance developing.
Dr Gopalan said that although there were various apps that provided antibiotic information, there was no single source where a doctor could find all the information he/she may require on one platform.
“Pharma Dynamics has consolidated this requirement by way of the app, which makes it easy to access, no matter where doctors are based.”
Key features of the app include:
- Detailed microbe and medication information;
- Medication interaction checker;
- Antibiotic duplication checker;
- Dosing calculators;
- Surveillance data.
“The window of opportunity to control ABR is rapidly closing. Rational antimicrobial use is key.
“I urge healthcare practitioners and the public to make use of the BugWise app and be part of this initiative against antibiotic resistance,” he encouraged.
The BugWise app can be accessed via both android and iOS phones, and be downloaded (free of charge) from either the Apple or Google play store.
During World Antibiotics Week, which takes place from Monday to Saturday, November 12 to 18, healthcare practitioners, pharmacies and clinics could play a critical role by educating the public about the responsible use of antibiotics, as well as infection prevention.
