Improved patient care through new guidelines for antibiotic dosing and monitoring.

Narrative

Research by Alison Thomson and others has improved the clinical use of powerful antibiotics. New guidelines for vancomycin use in adults have been adopted by the NHS throughout Scotland and in other parts of the UK. New neonatal vancomycin guidelines have decreased the time to achieve optimal antibiotic concentrations and reduced patient trauma and staff workload. These guidelines are used routinely in the Greater Glasgow area and other parts of the UK. Tobramycin guidelines improved the management of infection in patients with cystic fibrosis in the Glasgow and Edinburgh areas. Additional studies, which investigated guideline implementation across NHS Scotland, resulted in nationally supported resources designed to improve the quality of patient care when vancomycin or gentamicin is used.

Impact status	Open
Category of impact	Professional practice, training and standards, Health and welfare - new products, guidelines and services
Impact level	Benefit