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Under delivery of IV antibiotics a major cause of AMR in the UK
A new report conducted by the office of Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle has gone live, shedding light on the issue of under delivery of antibiotics when administered via an IV administration set and the role this plays in the global AMR crisis. The findings demonstrate how residual
volume of antibiotic that remains in the line of the IV administration set can result in patients receiving an under delivery of up to 30% of the prescribed dose, leading to possible resistance within patients owing to the accumulative effect. The report, which was launched at The House
of Lords, summarises the findings from a study of antibiotic “line flushing” and disposal practices in NHS organisations across the UK. The launch was attended by representatives from the sector, industry, NHS and Parliament. The report addresses the issue of under
dosing of patients that are administered antibiotics through an IV administration set that isn’t ‘flushed’ through with diluent. When the lines aren’t flushed, the dose received can be up to 30% less than what was prescribed, resulting in patients receiving too little of the antibiotic they need to fight infection. This drives antimicrobial
resistance and can make the patient more susceptible to drug-resistant infections. While line flushing is best practice in an NHS setting, it is often only followed on paediatric and oncology wards, where the drugs used are high-cost and underdosing could prove fatal. However, the same cannot be said for IV antibiotics. Not only does AMR impact the NHS significantly both in cost and in patients returning to hospital or staying in hospital longer, but this in turn contributes to the ongoing global AMR crisis. The report findings show that:
l Approximately 70% of NHS organisations don’t have any administration set flushing policy in place to make sure patients are receiving the complete dose of antibiotics as prescribed.
l Approximately 5% of NHS organisations report that they do flush the IV set routinely, in all clinical areas, administering the total prescribed dose.
l Of the 30% of NHS organisations that do have a policy, fewer than half are fully compliant with their own policy.
To view the full report and recommendations, visit:
https://tinyurl.com/nnet263p
Fractional COVID-19 booster vaccines show promise
Reducing the dose of a widely used COVID-19 booster vaccine produces a similar immune response in adults to a full-dose with fewer side effects, according to a new study. The research, led by Murdoch Children’s
Research Institute and the National Centre for Communicable Diseases in Mongolia, found that a half dose of a Pfizer COVID-19 booster vaccine elicited a non-inferior immune response to a full dose in Mongolian adults who previously had AstraZeneca or Sinopharm COVID-19 shots. But it found half-dose boosting may be less effective in adults primed with the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine. The research is part of an international clinical trial, which also includes Australia and Indonesia, that’s investigating the different COVID-19 booster shot approaches to help guide future vaccination strategies. The first batch of findings, published in The
Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific, and involving 601 participants over 18 years old, reports on the initial responses seen 28-days after vaccination. The study is the first of its kind to assess and compare COVID-19 vaccines widely used in low- and middle-income countries.
NHS ‘cancer bus’ tours UK to raise awareness of cancer symptoms
An NHS double-decker bus is touring parts of the country to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of cancer and urge people to visit their GP for potentially life-saving checks if they notice something unusual. The NHS cancer ‘bus-ting’ tour, in partnership
with Stagecoach, comes as new survey data found that more than two in five people wouldn’t make a GP appointment if they noticed a change they
thought could be cancer. The survey of 2,000 adults also found a quarter would wait to see if a potential symptom gets better on its own or ignore it and hope it goes away. The giant blue bus is branded with striking messages to remind people that catching cancer earlier makes it more treatable, highlighting that of the 78 passengers that the bus can carry, 65 would survive cancer if found at the earliest stage.
Teams of local NHS staff, charity workers and cancer survivors will be on board to share their expertise, provide expert advice to passers-by and help answer questions, discuss any worries, and get people directed to the right place. The 450-mile journey across England aims to
cover areas where early diagnosis rates for cancer are among the lowest, including Grimsby, Coventry, Nottingham, Basildon and finally Portsmouth.
January 2024 I
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