An initiative based in Manchester has produced a digital dashboard to provide data on the factors influencing the prescribing of antibiotics.
Researchers at the Greater Manchester Connected Health City – a group of public sector organisations in the region – and the University of Manchester supported by Public Health England have developed the National Antibiotic Prescribing Dashboard.
They said it enables healthcare stakeholders to better understand the factors influencing the prescribing of antibiotics in the UK, with data that shows factors such as GP practice location, time spent with patients and the effect of staff shortages on prescriptions.
It has been funded by the Department of Health and Social Care for use by healthcare providers, academic institutions, clinical commissioning groups and local authorities, and reflects an effort to reduce the number of inappropriate prescriptions by 50% by 2020.
An early finding has been that antibiotics are more likely to be prescribed in busy, northern GP practices, and that this applies to patients at low risk of being hospitalised as much to those at high risk.
Professor Tjeerd van Staa from the Connected Health City said: “In order to tackle antibiotic resistance, it’s crucial that we gain a better understanding of the key factors that influence antibiotic prescribing and that identify patients at higher risk of developing infection related complications.
“The dashboard shows users how infectious conditions are treated across England and Wales, providing important insight into the challenges that need to be addressed in each region to effectively optimise prescribing behaviours.”
Potential users need to need to register for an account.
Image from Connected Health City
