The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) a top ten global health threat. Microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses change quickly, causing many medications to become ineffective. Left unchecked, AMR is set to cause over 10 million deaths per year by 2050 and cost the global economy trillions of dollars.
The Global Clinical Network for Infectious Diseases project brings together government, industry and academia to accelerate knowledge translation and share critical information about AMR treatments.
Through the project, Vancouver-based Firstline refined and expanded the world’s first end-to-end solution for the creation, discussion, and distribution of infectious disease guidance. Updates to local antimicrobial stewardship guidelines are made in minutes—a process that has traditionally taken months. A mobile app provides frontline healthcare providers access to the most current information about AMR and appropriate treatments.
Firstline is now working with WHO to share the most current antibiotic prescribing guidelines with any healthcare organization in the world. Collaboration between the Government of Canada, the Digital Supercluster, Firstline and WHO will see WHO adopt the Firstline platform to accelerate the global distribution of rapidly changing AMR treatment guidelines and save lives.
“Given the scale of the project and the urgency of the timeline, Firstline knew this project would not succeed without federal government interest and investment. Thanks to the help of the Digital Supercluster, we gathered diverse world-class collaborators and built a product that gained international adoption in less than a year. Without the Digital Supercluster’s guidance and endorsement, there would be no contractual relationship between Firstline and the WHO.”
JASON BUCK
CTO of Firstline