Heroes In the Race to Save Antibiotics

An article published in the D!gitalist Magazine belonging to SAP, talks about the importance of an analytics system that could help in the fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

The rise of antibiotic-resistant superbugs was triggered by the misuse and abuse of antibiotics. Bacteria started to mutate and acquire resistant genes, resulting in the so-called ‘superbugs’. As resistant bacteria continue to multiply, humankind could be possibly facing a modern-time catastrophe. That is, if a solution to tackle this threat is not developed.

The solution to this problem is not limited to discovering a new drug, but also to develop a new approach to diagnostics, antibiotic usage, and AMR monitoring. A candidate to solve this would be new technology that could speed up the diagnostic process and antibiotic monitoring. Technology can help tremendously when a great amount of data is required for decision making processes: from tracking or predicting AMR outbreaks to the discovery of a new drug. It can also help in rapidly diagnosing patients and treating infections in a more targeted way.

Having access to data on AMR is pivotal in better tracking the way it spreads. However surveillance has its flaws, and the data available can be incomplete, or inconsistent. This in turn may result in underestimating the impact of AMR, and finally the loss of many lives. It also results in the misuse of antibiotics when they are not needed. There are certain hospitals that have a system in place which supports decision making and prescription choices.  A clinical trial conducted in 2013 reported that doctors who used decision-making tools prescribed 50% less broad-spectrum antibiotics than those who did not.

National and ultimately global AMR-related data that is available for analyzing could facilitate the better understanding of patterns of resistance. The ideal scenario would be to have a cycle of information and treatment that could save healthcare a heap of costs and save millions of lives.

 

Read the whole article here.

Source: D!gitalist Magazine by SAP