Health Innovation Ecosystem: A Way Forward to Combat Antibiotic Resistance
Antibiotic resistance is a global problem that causes sufferings to millions. Like many developing nations, Bangladesh is also vulnerable to antibiotic resistance due to lack of monitoring and integrated data technology, and inferior health-care standards. Patients purchase antibiotics without consulting with doctors which results into the misuse and overuse of antibiotics. According to the World Health Organization, antibiotic resistance leads to higher medical costs, prolonged hospital stays, and increased mortality. To impede and control the proliferation of antibiotic resistance in Bangladesh, CRID-USA, along with Directorate General of Health Services, ICT Division, Bangladesh, iDEA Project, IBA (DU), BMSS, AUST, DIU is introducing a program, titled “Health Innovation Ecosystem: A Way Forward to Combat Antibiotic Resistance.” More than 15,000 medical students and 4,000 Bangladeshi doctors will voluntarily join the initiative to further the cause of preventing antibiotic resistance in Bangladesh. Non-Resident Bangladeshi doctors will also contribute to the project to make it a success.How the Health Innovation Ecosystem will Work?
This entire process will be a combined effort of CRID-USA, ICT Division, IDEA , DG Health, IBA (DU), BMSS, AUST, DIU
| Steps | Details |
|---|---|
| 01 | First, we will identify some drug stores or pharmacies in rural areas of Bangladesh for our pilot project and bring them under our program by installing our “Kambaii Pharmacy App” mobile application in their smartphones. |
| 02 | Our app will be pre-installed in the devices of the pharmacist. When a patient will visit the pharmacist for the purposes of purchasing antibiotics without a prescription, the pharmacist will connect the patient with a doctor through our mobile app. In order to connect with the doctor, the pharmacist will input the patient’s name, age, sex, contact number, address, brief medical history, and their possible complaints into the mobile app. When the pharmacist will click on the pertinent button on the app, the Kambaii registered doctors will receive a notification on their mobile phone. An available doctor will pick up the call from our registered doctor pool and consult with the patient to diagnose the patient and identify whether the patient needs an antibiotic or not. The pharmacist will assist the patient during this process. |
| 03 | The pharmacist will receive the provisional diagnosis (Use Diagnostic Code) and ideal antibiotic provided by the doctor through the Kambaii Pharmacy mobile app. Then, the pharmacist will input the diagnosis and the prescribed antibiotic into a pre-made prescription paper template and provide the prescription to the patient. A text message will be sent to the contact number of the patient providing all the information regarding the diagnosis and prescribed antibiotic. |
| 04 | A Unique Medical Record Number (MRN) for each patient will be generated which both the pharmacist and patient can access through the mobile app and the text message. A patient profile will be created in the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) System which will contain all the available and collected data of the patient and their medical history. For future diagnosis and antibiotic purchasing purposes, the patient will no longer need any physical documents or prescriptions since all the data are integrated into our EMR System. Note: The patient’s privacy is strictly maintained |
| 05 | The pharmacist will then sell the prescribed antibiotic (if any). |
