New app ensures KGH patients get antibiotics quickly

The hospital has launched antibiotic app MicroGuide, enabling staff to swiftly check exactly which antibiotics to prescribe, in what dose and in what way form.

It will also give staff the most up to date national and local guidance to help tackle bacteria that are becoming resistant to antibiotics.

This is especially important locally as patterns of antibiotic resistance in the KGH area are known and it is important to use the right kind of antibiotics to ensure patients get the ones that work most effectively.

The app was developed by KGH’s antimicrobial pharmacist, Naomi Fleming, antimicrobial clinical technician Julie Fosbrook and trust lead for antimicrobial stewardship Dr Essam Rizkalla.

Naomi said: “It’s an app that is free and easy to download on to your phone and it gives you instant access to a very wide range of local – and national - guidance and information on appropriate antibiotic use.

“It is very important we use the right antibiotics, in the right way, to treat patients to give them the very best chance of combating illnesses that are caused by bacteria.

“Antibiotic resistance is a growing problem, both locally and nationally, and it is important for us to do everything we possibly can to prevent it.”

Julie said: “The app enables staff to make decisions about antibiotics quickly without the need to open up a trust computer and then having to spend time looking for the right links on our internal intranet system.

“Because it is quick and easy it should help speed up decision-making which should help patients to get home sooner.

“It also provides lots of other important information – for example how to treat patients who may be allergic to say penicillin.”

The app is available for free from Google Play, Apple App Store, and Windows Phone Store by searching for MicroGuide and then choosing Kettering General Hospital.

Kettering General Hospital has a good record for infection prevention and control and has done much pioneering work internally to publicise appropriate prevention of key infections such as Clostridium Difficile (C Diff) and MRSA.

The trust has been free of a hospital-acquired MRSA blood stream infection for more than 1,000 days, and is on target for achieving its C Diff target of no more than 26 infections for the year ending March 31, 2018.

It has had 21 so far over the past 11 months.

Lead nurse for infection prevention and control Jennie Lovell said: “We very much welcome the introduction of the new mobile phone app to help staff to quickly prescribe the right antibiotics in the right way.

“It should support the hospital’s always ongoing work to keep infections to a minimum and tackle the growing problem of antibiotic resistance.”