UAE: Abu Dhabi hospital launches tool to promote antimicrobial management

UAE: Abu Dhabi hospital launches tool to promote antimicrobial management

Over-prescription of antibiotics is a major factor contributing to the increase in antimicrobial resistance

Published: Tue 5 Apr 2022, 2:33 PM

Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City (SSMC) has launched a prominent point-of-care tool for antimicrobial management, becoming the first hospital to introduce the medical awareness initiative in the Middle East.

The tool's launch is in aid of SSMC’s mission to promote the appropriate use of antimicrobial agents, reduce the burden of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and shed much-needed light on the dangers of the mismanagement and over-prescription of antibiotics.

Dr Zahir Babiker, a consultant physician at SSMC's Division of Tropical and Infectious Diseases, says: "Antimicrobial resistance is one of the biggest public health challenges of our time, with nearly 5 million deaths associated with bacterial AMR were reported in 2019 alone, based on a recent study by The Lancet. AMR occurs when germs present in the human body stop responding to the medications designed to kill them.

“As a result, germs such as bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses will continue to grow and pose a serious risk to the lives of people who are harboring those germs. Therefore, careful use of antimicrobial agents such as antibiotics is important and requires educating people and persuading clinicians