You can hear about some specific things we have found out here.
Since 2009, IORD has looked at over 90 different kinds of questions, including:
- How have infections caused by different microbes and infection-related problems like bad lung infections (pneumonia) or serious blood infections (sepsis) changed over time, both inside and outside the hospitals in Oxfordshire? How can we manage them better? Are new microbes starting to cause issues?
- What makes some people more likely to get an infection from certain microbes or these infection-related problems? Can using the wrong antibiotics today make patients more likely to get resistant infections in the future?
- How serious are these infections with different microbes or infection-related problems? Are some getting worse or less severe over time? Are certain types of microbes becoming more dangerous, and how does that happen?
Examples of things we have found out
- A new super-fungus, called Candida auris, spreads between patients on equipment that is used multiple times and is hard to clean, like armpit thermometers – but is not spread by healthcare workers. Removing these thermometers stopped an outbreak in our hospitals.
- The biggest increases in bloodstream infections with a common microbe called Esherichia coli are happening in people who have not recently been in hospital. Using strong antibiotics outside of hospitals may be increasing resistance in these microbes, making antibiotics less likely to work in future. This has changed the focus on preventing these infections from hospitals to the community, particularly what antibiotics GP prescribe, and making sure older people drink plenty of water to avoid getting dehydrated. Getting dehydrated can make the microbes more likely to grow because they stay in the bladder for longer.