Using digital health technologies to optimise antimicrobial use globally.

Digital health technology (DHT) describes tools and devices that generate or process health data. The application of DHTs could improve the diagnosis, treatment, and surveillance of bacterial infection and the prevention of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). DHTs to optimise antimicrobial use are rapidly being developed. To support the global adoption of DHTs and the opportunities offered to optimise antimicrobial use consensus is needed on what data are required to support antimicrobial decision making. This Series paper will explore bacterial AMR in humans and the need to optimise antimicrobial use in response to this global threat. It will also describe state-of-the-art DHTs to optimise antimicrobial prescribing in high-income and low-income and middle-income countries, and consider what fundamental data are ideally required for and from such technologies to support optimised antimicrobial use.
Competing Interests: Declaration of interests TMR has received honoraria from BioMerieux. AM is a Director and share owner of NEX.Q. AHH is an executive committee member and former President of the International Society for Infectious Diseases, a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies Coronavirus Response working group on nosocomial transmission, and is on the WHO Health Emergencies Program Ad-Hoc Advisory Panel of Infection Prevention and Control Experts for Preparedness, Readiness and Response to COVID-19. AHH was Chair of the Fleming Fund Technical Advisory Group (operated by the UK Department of Health and Social Care and the Fleming Fund) and a board member of the Wellcome Surveillance and Epidemiology of Drug-resistant Infections consortium. SD has received grants or contracts from the US Food and Drug Administration, the Fleming Fund fellowship fund, Spero Therapeutics, Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership, Cystic Fibrosis Trust, Helmholtz, European Commission, Rosetrees Trust, Pfizer, Debiopharm, Bioversys, and UK Research and Innovation. SD has received payment or honoraria from Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator and GSK, and support for travel from European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. SD has received financial support for participating on a data safety monitoring board or advisory board for Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator. SD has stock or stock options in AstraZeneca. All other authors declare no competing interests.
(Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)