National Antimicrobial Guidelines
"RUSH's values really matched our project's values, with their human-centred approach and focus on equity. The team had a very quick grasp of what we were after and provided a fantastic roadmap early on. It was very obvious working with them straight away that they ‘got’ the project."
The project
New Zealand's battle with antibiotic resistance is at a critical point - we're in the top five globally for antibiotic consumption per capita. The challenge was twofold: unite 20 different guidelines into one cohesive national standard, and gain deeper insights into prescribing patterns to ensure equitable care.
Together with a dedicated team of healthcare professionals, we created a digital platform that puts comprehensive, real-time antibiotic guidelines and powerful data analysis in prescribers' hands at the point of care.
This two-year initiative, funded through Te Niwha, brings together healthcare professionals and institutions nationwide (including University of Auckland, Turuki Healthcare and Te Whatu Ora districts) to strengthen New Zealand's pandemic preparedness and antimicrobial stewardship.
Expertise
Research
UX Design
UI Design
Frontend Development
Backend Development
Application Support
20+
Existing guidelines to merge
15
healthcare professionals and researchers involved
1st
national standard to guide antibiotic prescribing & measure treatment appropriateness
We kicked off with deep-dive user research, immersing ourselves in the daily challenges faced by healthcare professionals working in primary and secondary care centres across the country. Our agile approach included weekly check-ins with the research team, maintaining transparency and momentum throughout.
The condensed timeline proved to be a blessing - it pushed us to nail the crucial user experience work early. A dedicated project manager kept the collaboration flowing, ensuring our development stayed perfectly aligned with what healthcare professionals needed on the ground.
"I've been absolutely thrilled with how RUSH has accepted fiscal responsibility on our behalf. We're using public money and they've been unbelievably good at acknowledging our resource limitations. RUSH has helped us protect the money and found many efficiencies along the way, which has been awesome.”
Digital Guidelines System
We brought to life an integrated digital platform that houses the national antibiotic guideline with the smarts to handle real-time updates for medicine supply changes and scientific breakthroughs. The system doesn't just deliver guidelines - it provides rich data analysis tools to track prescribing patterns and serves up both clinician and patient-facing information.
A game-changing feedback system enables continuous improvement through direct user input, making this a living, breathing tool that gets better over time. The platform has earned praise for its clean, intuitive interface and rapid development cycle.
Now, Next, Later
The healthcare team is particularly excited about the built-in feedback system - a first for national healthcare guidelines. The platform is currently in internal testing, with wider user consultation planned for late 2024.
Looking ahead, we've built this platform to grow. Its architecture is ready to expand beyond antibiotics to other medical conditions, while the data analysis capabilities will help shine a light on healthcare equity issues across Aotearoa. Patient-facing information modules are in the pipeline, set to transform this into a comprehensive tool that serves both healthcare providers and the public.
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Ready for better?
