Excellence in Health Outcomes (New for 2014)

Summary of work

"A true triumph in facilitation and communication." Dr Duerden, GRIP member

Antibiotic resistance has become a critical health issue on a global scale. The risk is so huge that in the UK Dame Sally Davies, the chief medical officer, has called for it to be treated at the same threat level as terrorism. The Global Respiratory Infection Partnership (GRIP) was initiated with this risk in mind, seeking to build a collaboration of global healthcare professionals (HCPs) who could effect real change at an international and national level, publish groundbreaking thinking, share learnings and directly address the issue through education, with the support of RB.

Since its creation, GRIP has developed and published a pentagonal framework for the non-antibiotic (symptomatic) management of upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) in primary care, focused on five key areas: policy, prevention, prescribers, pharmacy and patients. The group has produced materials that support antibiotic awareness work and hosted a global seminar. Locally, GRIP members have been interacting with governments, opinion leaders, practitioners and patients both independently and with the support of RB. This in turn has provided opportunities for credible evidence-based product-branded marketing for symptomatic relief, aligned with a global healthcare priority.

Judges comments

GRIP’s global focus addresses the huge issue of people taking too many antibiotics. We saw superb physician engagement and outreach and we liked the long-term commitment of this initiative. The focus was on clinicians, helping them to manage patient expectations and provide more appropriate treatments. With excellent outcomes and significant reduction in antibiotic prescriptions, this campaign really stood out.