What we looked at and why | Right Decisions

Right Decisions
Scottish Health Technologies Group (SHTG)
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Bacteriophage therapy for patients with difficult to treat bacterial infections
What we looked at and why

Please update your RDS mobile app to version 4.7.1

We are pleased to advise that deep linking capability, enabling users to directly download individual mobile toolkits, has now been released on the RDS mobile app. When you install the update, you will see that each toolkit has a small QR code icon the header area beside the search icon – see screenshot below. Clicking on this icon will open up a window with a full-size QR code and the alternative of a short URL for sharing with users. Instructions are provided.

You may need to actively install the update to install RDS app version 4.7.1 to see this improvement. Installing this update is also strongly recommended to get the full benefits of the new contingency arrangements – specifically, that if the RDS website should fail, you will still be able to download new mobile app toolkits.

To check your current RDS version, click on the three dots bottom right of the RDS app screen. This takes you to a “More” page where you will see the version number. To install latest updates:

On iPhones – go to the Apple store, click on your profile icon top right, scroll down to see the apps waiting to be updated and update the RDS app.

On Android phones – these can vary, but try going to the Google Play store, click on your profile icon top right, click on “Manage apps and device”, select and update the RDS app.

Please get in touch with ann.wales3@nhs.scot with any questions.

SHTG recommendation

In response to enquiries from a clinical bacteriophage specialist

What were we asked to look at

A Clinical Director for Surgery and a clinical bacteriophage specialist asked us to review the evidence for the use of bacteriophage therapy in patients with difficult to treat bacterial infections who continue to experience significant infection-related disability despite optimal management. Consultants from medical and surgical specialties across NHSScotland confirmed the relevance of this topic for the health service.

Why is this important

The incidence of antimicrobial tolerant and resistant bacterial infections is increasing worldwide, contributing to the strain on healthcare services due to longer hospital stays, rising medical costs and increased mortality.¹ During 2016, it was estimated that multi-drug resistant bacterial infections alone caused 700,000 deaths globally each year; if current practices continue this figure is expected to rise to 10 million deaths by 2050.² Bacteriophage therapy represents an option to address this problem in the near future.