Drugs & Bugs: A New App from Monthly Prescribing Reference

NEW YORK, Feb. 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Monthly Prescribing Reference (MPR) is pleased to announce the launch of the Drugs & Bugs App, an essential resource for healthcare professionals. The app provides comprehensive information on antibiotic spectrum of efficacy against microorganisms. Clinicians may use the searchable alpha indices or search drugs and bugs by bacterial class or pharmacological class to begin their query.

The Drugs & Bugs App features:

• A database of more than 100 antibiotics and nearly 200 bacterial pathogens
• Smart Search capability by pathogen, type of infection, brand and generic drug names
• Quick-to-read results on spectrum of activity
• Comprehensive drug monographs for anti-infective agents
• Useful comparative charts by drug class
• Clinical calculators

Drugs & Bugs was developed by MPR and US Biomedical Information Systems (USBMIS), MPR's app development partner, in cooperation with Philip Chung, PharmD, BCPS; Clinical Pharmacy Manager in Infectious Diseases at Montefiore Medical Center, NY. The drug monographs are frequently updated and reviewed by MPR's team of pharmacists and physicians.

"Choosing an empiric antibiotic regimen can be daunting," said Dr. Chung. "The Drugs & Bugs App is a useful tool for selecting empiric antibiotic regimens before susceptibility results become available. The app also aids clinicians in the selection of antibiotic regimens with the narrowest spectrum possible based on susceptibility results." 

Drugs & Bugs is now available for Apple iOS (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch) and Android (Android phones and tablets, Kindle Fire, NOOK) platforms and can be downloaded at empr.com/drugsandbugs, the iTunes App Store, Android Market, Amazon Appstore, and NOOK Apps.

"The innovative use of our drug information content to create new and useful products for clinicians is integral to our digital strategy," said Tammy Chernin, VP, MPR Drug Information & Product Development. "The need to limit the development of resistance with the judicious use of antibiotics is of paramount importance. The Drugs & Bugs App is a fantastic example of MPR's commitment to providing clinicians with tools that support their prescribing decisions."

Dr. Darwin Ang, MD, PhD, MPH agreed.  Dr. Ang, founder of USBMIS, said, "MPR already provides a great product, and they are strongly committed to using the latest technology, as in the Drugs & Bugs App, to disseminate their crucial data."

For more than 26 years, healthcare professionals in the United States have relied on the print editions of MPR to deliver up-to-date, concise drug information at the point-of-care. That same drug information is also available online, as well as on mobile devices and smartphones, and has been enhanced with digital clinical tools and resources. The pharmacist-editors at MPR are dedicated to bringing the highest quality drug information to all clinicians, with the most powerful and flexible clinical decision support tools available.

About MPR and Haymarket Media Inc.

Monthly Prescribing Reference is published by Haymarket Media Inc. (HMI), a global publication and communications company with operations on five continents. Founded in 1957 and headquartered in the United Kingdom, HMI publishes titles in 23 languages in more than 100 nations. In the United States HMI publishes a number of healthcare journals, including MPR (primary care and specialty editions), The Clinical Advisor, and Renal & Urology News. Since 1985, MPR has been the most widely used drug reference by healthcare professionals in a wide variety of specialties and practice settings. 

SOURCE Monthly Prescribing Reference