App launched to aid doctors in treatment of infectious diseases

Pakistan’s Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) on Saturday launched a locally developed clinical decision-support application aimed at helping healthcare professionals make timely, evidence-based decisions in the diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases and promoting responsible use of antimicrobial medicines. Dr Muneeba Ahsan Saeed, assistant professor of infectious diseases at Sindh Infectious Diseases Hospital & Research Center; Dr Fiza Farooqui, consultant microbiologist and head of laboratory at OMI Hospital; and Dr Syed Faisal Mahmood, professor of infectious diseases at Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH), designed the application in collaboration with software developers. Prof Mahmood of AKUH said infectious diseases involved many clinical conditions, pathogens and antimicrobial drugs, making treatment decisions particularly complex. He said the application had an advantage over generic international resources because it had been developed in the Pakistani context, considering local pathogens, diseases and available medicines.