Changes to antibiotic care leads to reduced hospital stays and nurse time pressure
Patients in Essex can be healed quicker
Switching from intravenous drips (IV) in hospitals to oral antibiotics is helping patients heal quicker.
For people with certain infections, that are showing improvements on IV antibiotics, they could be switched to oral antibiotics, which will make a "huge difference."
The change means that patients can 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 work is being highlighted as part of World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week (WAAW), which runs from 18-24 November.
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.”
The trust also says that shorter hospital stays 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.