The Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service (SCHHS) Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) team, in a joint initiative with the SCHHS ICT Software Development team developed a desktop application (App) to facilitate dosing of high-risk antimicrobials called aminoglycosides. The App is accessible to all HHS clinicians across all facilities and ensures safe and accurate dosing recommendations individualised to our patients.
Aminoglycoside Desktop Calculator App
Summary
Aim
To develop, validate and implement a desktop calculator based upon the Queensland Statewide Aminoglycoside May 2018 guidelines. The calculator would remove the need for multiple manual calculations required to ensure patients receive the correct dose of aminoglycoside antibiotics by calculating ideal body weight and adjusted body weight, the correct dosing calculation and frequency of dosing based upon the individualised patient parameters entered into the platform by the user. This strategy would minimise risk of incorrect dosing, aid in highlighting contra-indications and ensure adequate dosing and administration in patients with sepsis and septic shock.
Benefits
The calculator has been used more than 2,000 times since launching at SCHHS at the end of 2020. The launch campaign coupled with mandatory Learning Management System (LMS) module for all clinical staff serves to enhance the messaging of risk associated with aminoglycosides and the need to prescribe accordingly.
A study measuring the impact of the calculator on doses of gentamicin at SCUH will be published in 2021. The high uptake of the calculator by prescribers demonstrates that there was a clinical need to assist with aminoglycoside dosing even despite the ongoing competing demands of a pandemic.
Background
The aminoglycosides are broad-spectrum, bactericidal antibiotics that are commonly prescribed for children, primarily for infections caused by Gram-negative pathogens.
However, they have a narrow therapeutic window necessitating therapeutic drug monitoring for safe and effective use.