Beaumont Hospital in Dublin has developed a new app aimed at encouraging more rational prescribing of antibiotics.

The hospital says more careful and selective prescribing of antibiotics will help combat over-prescription and incorrect use of these drugs, which can lead to antibiotic resistance and the spread of 'super bugs' such as MRSA and C.Diff.

The Antimicrobial App will assist staff in their day to day work, prescribing, dispensing and administering antibiotics to patients.

The app will help hospital staff select the most appropriate antibiotics for treating patients with infection, promote more consistent prescribing by doctors and also provide ward pharmacists and nurses with additional information to administer and monitor antibiotic use in the hospital, according to Beaumont.

The app also provides detailed information for staff on the most appropriate antibiotics for preventing and managing infections in specialist treatment areas.

The hospital says having easy access to the local guidelines via the Beaumont Antimicrobial App will reduce the amount of time that doctors, nurses and pharmacists need to spend searching for information in bulky documents or on shared PCs.

Staff will be able to access the most up-to-date information from their smartphone, allowing them to respond in a more efficient and consistent way to patients' needs.