Bugwatcher is able to detect three superbacteria resistant to antibiotics in patients, surfaces and in the air, as well as to geolocate contagions and view them in a hospital map in real time.
Entering the hospital for a reason and ending admitted for another. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) estimates that 2,609,911 new cases of infections associated with health care occur every year in the European Union and in the European Economic Area. Bugwatcher is an innovative solution that can detect the main bacteria in patients, surfaces and in the air. Promoted by Evidenze, a Spanish company expert in health knowledge management, this technology is designed to prevent and control the main intrahospital infections.
Superbugs and how to beat their spread
“Superbugs” are bacterial strains resistant to most antibiotics and other drugs that are commonly used to treat the infections they cause, which makes that some diseases can appear again in the population. Some studies point to the fact that pneumonia and primary bacteriemia are those leading to a higher burden of contagions, more than the estimated 60%. It must be noted that Spain, together with the United Kingdom and Italy, is among the main antibiotic purchasing countries, with a higher consumption than the average of OECD countries.
With this regard, Evidenze Digital Health unit introduces Bugwatcher, an innovative system that can detect three antibiotic-resistant superbacteria (Clostridium difficile, Klebsiella pneumoniae and MRSA) in patients, surfaces and in the air, as well as geolocate contagions and view them in a hospital map in real time. In addition, it has been designed to generate an alert to notify health professionals every time a new infection is detected, thus helping hospital staff to isolate infected patients and prevent the infection from spreading at the hospital.
“Bugwatcher is an innovative
system that can detect three
antibiotic-resistant superbacteria
in patients, surfaces and in the air”
Bugwatcher as a solution to prevent intrahospital contagions
Bugwatcher is a portable modular system made of different technologies. A first portable device, that can detect very efficiently pathogens in the air; biosensors based on paper, as rapid diagnostic tests; a software platform that is integrated with the detection devices to create an alert in real time when contamination is detected; and, finally, a mobile application for health professionals to record detected infections and facilitate data registration in case the user has not access to the software platform.
These systems can be integrated with the internal information system of the hospital, which makes the software be even more automatic in the management of patients and rooms.
“Bugwatcher integrates with
the internal information system
of the hospital,
automating the management
of patients and rooms”
A European challenge to find the technology of the future
Bugwatcher is the response of Evidenze, in collaboration with Nuwave sensors and Paperdrop diagnostics, for the challenge Anti-Superbugs PCP of European Union’s Horizon 2020 program, which is aimed at finding solutions to improve the quality of hospital care processes. The objective is to reduce both the costs and the operation impact resulting of infections, improving adequacy of the use of antimicrobial drugs and reduce the impact of intrahospital infections in the community and in healthcare.
This technology intends to transform the current control systems of vigilance and infections to make them the integral systems of the future.
