Team:Sheffield/episode7
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From our research the massive scale of the antibiotic resistance problem is clear. We have gained perspectives from doctors, and we would like to do the same with patients who have had experience with antibiotics.
The Research Advisory Panel for Infectious Diseases (RAPID)
We attended the Research Advisory Panel for Infectious Diseases (RAPID). This is a patient panel with a focus on infectious diseases, and sets up a dialogue between patients and clinicians, with a view to gaining a more personal perspective of antibiotic usage.
When asked about typical experiences when meeting with a GP, one member of the panel said that generally patients want to leave with a prescription; especially if they feel ill and think that they need something to help them feel better. Another panel member said that her husband never finished a course of antibiotics - he would take them until he felt better and then he would stop. If he then got ill again he would start taking the rest of the antibiotics, this was because of a no-waste attitude towards the antibiotics.
From our discussions we perceived that the general public’s understanding of antibiotic use was lacking, and this has been a driving force for misuse of antibiotics.
Antibiotic resistance is a major problem as it diminishes the effectiveness of antibiotics. However, we are not always aware of how quickly antibiotics can become ineffectual. We would like to know on a more personal level the impact of antibiotic resistance.
We interviewed Mr. Paul Slater, who has been suffering from a vancomycin-resistant enterococci infection. Paul's story clearly demonstrates the damage that antibiotic resistance can do. We hope his story will raise awareness on this pressing problem.
Video 3. Interview with Mr Slater. Slater’s experience of having a vancomycin resistant infection and how this has affected his quality of life over a long period of time.
