Improving antibiotic care is good for patients
Switching to oral antibiotics from intravenous (IV) drips in hospitals is helping Essex patients heal quicker.
This work is being highlighted as part of World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week (WAAW), which runs from 18-24 November.
The theme for WAAW this year is ‘keep antibiotics working’ and the Trust have been working on improvements in the use of antibiotics and patient care by moving from IV antibiotics to oral treatment sooner.
This will work for people with certain infections who are showing improvements on IV antibiotics, who are then eligible for moving to oral antibiotics. This seemingly small change is already making a huge difference, meaning patients recover faster, spend less time in hospital, and benefit from safer care as it reduces the risk of adverse drug reactions by over 10%.
The Trust’s Antimicrobial Stewardship group is working to improve how antibiotics are used in its hospitals and reduce antimicrobial resistance, which happens when bacteria and infections stop responding to antibiotics, making them harder to treat and more dangerous.
Dr Faisal Bin-Reza, Consultant Microbiologist at the Trust, said: “This change is already having a positive impact on patients. When we switch from IV to oral antibiotics at the right time, it means patients recover faster, can leave hospital sooner, and avoid unnecessary complications.
“It also reduces pressure on our teams, with it taking 22 minutes for nurses to prepare and give IV medication and just 80 seconds for oral antibiotics. It's a great example of how better tools and teamwork lead to safer care.”
Shorter hospital stays also free up beds, which reduces pressure on bed numbers. There are environmental gains too, using IV antibiotics means using single use plastic bags, giving sets, and fluids, all with a heavy carbon footprint. Oral tablets are far lighter on the planet.