Overview

Kora's Responsible Antimicrobial Use system helps you track, monitor, and improve antimicrobial use. The system serves livestock operations, zoo collections, wildlife programmes, and companion animal practices. It provides documentation, insights, and guidance for responsible use while maintaining regulatory compliance.

Antimicrobial resistance affects both animal and human health globally. Overuse, misuse, or incorrect use allows bacteria to develop resistance. This makes treatments less effective over time. Responsible antimicrobial use (also called antimicrobial stewardship) means using medications only when necessary. Choose the right medication. Use the correct dose. Complete the full treatment course.

Kora supports responsible use through comprehensive tracking, educational guidance, compliance monitoring, and actionable insights.

What This System Does

Treatment Documentation Record detailed information every time antimicrobials are administered. Capture product name, active ingredient, dosage, route, duration, and clinical reason. Link records to existing treatments (Chapter 10.2) for complete medical history.

Stewardship Monitoring Track key indicators: treatment completion rates, veterinary consultation frequency, withdrawal compliance, medication selection. Your dashboard provides clear practice insights with actionable recommendations.

Safety & Compliance Monitor withdrawal periods for food safety. Track adverse reactions. Document off-label use when necessary. Maintain records for regulatory authorities and certification programmes.

Usage Insights Analyse treatment patterns over time. Understand which antimicrobials you use most frequently. Track treatment effectiveness, costs, and trends. Generate reports for veterinary consultations, regulatory inspections, or quality assurance.

Educational Support Access practical guidance on antimicrobial use timing, storage requirements, withdrawal calculations, and when to consult professionals. Evidence-based recommendations support better decisions.

Who Uses These Features

Farmers and Livestock Owners: Track use across herds and flocks. Ensure withdrawal compliance. Demonstrate responsible practices to buyers, certifiers, regulators.

Veterinarians: Document clinical justifications for prescriptions. Record diagnostic test results. Monitor treatment outcomes. Provide evidence-based recommendations.

Zoo and Conservation Organisations: Maintain detailed medication records for diverse species. Track use patterns. Support breeding programmes. Comply with accreditation requirements.

Wildlife Managers: Document interventions in wild populations. Track treatment outcomes for disease management. Maintain records for health investigations and research.

Community Animal Health Workers: Record supervised treatments in the field. Follow veterinary protocols. Maintain accurate records for community programmes.

Regulatory Authorities: Monitor use patterns across operations. Verify compliance with guidelines. Access data for surveillance and resistance monitoring.

Integration with Other Kora Features

Treatment Administration (Chapter 10.2): Link antimicrobial records to existing treatment records for complete medical history.

Animal Management (Chapter 8): Associate records with specific animals or mobs. Provide complete medication history supporting longitudinal tracking.

Health & Treatment Management (Chapter 10): Integrate stewardship with observations, assessments, and treatment plans. Connect clinical justifications to diagnostic findings.

Inventory & Supply Management (Chapter 14): Track product inventory, costs, and usage quantities. Monitor expiration dates. Associate usage with product batches for traceability.

Traceability & Compliance (Chapter 12): Document withdrawal periods, treatment dates, and product information for food safety verification and regulatory compliance.

Getting Started

For Basic Tracking: Record antimicrobials when administered. Capture product name, dosage, duration, reason for use. Record withdrawal periods for food-producing animals.

For Comprehensive Stewardship: Document clinical justifications, diagnostic results, veterinary consultations. Track completion and outcomes. Review dashboard regularly. Generate reports demonstrating responsible practices.

For Veterinary Professionals: Record culture and sensitivity results when available. Document first-line medication choices and reasons for alternatives. Track modification requirements and resistance patterns.

For Regulatory Compliance: Maintain complete records including prescribing veterinarian details, clinical indications, dosages, withdrawal periods. Generate compliance reports. Monitor usage patterns against established guidelines.

Key Concepts

Treatment Completion: Finishing the full prescribed course, even when animals appear recovered. Incomplete treatment allows resistant bacteria to survive and multiply. Kora tracks planned versus actual duration.

Withdrawal Periods: Required waiting time between last dose and when animal products can safely enter the food chain. Ensures residues are eliminated to safe levels. Kora calculates end dates and tracks compliance.

Veterinary Consultation: Professional guidance from licensed veterinarians or trained animal health workers before using antimicrobials. Ensures appropriate selection, correct dosing, proper duration. Kora tracks consultation rates.

Clinical Justification: Documented reason for use, ideally supported by diagnostic findings. Distinguishes therapeutic treatment (treating sick animals) from preventive use. Kora requires clinical indication for all records.

Treatment Outcome: Whether treatment was successful, partially effective, or failed. Tracking outcomes identifies resistance patterns, refines protocols, supports evidence-based decisions. Kora monitors outcomes and correlates with treatment choices.

Stewardship Score: Composite measure of responsible practices including completion, consultation, withdrawal compliance, medication selection, record quality. Higher scores indicate better practices preventing resistance development.

What This System Does Not Do

Prescribe Medications: Kora does not provide medical advice or prescribe treatments. Treatment decisions require licensed veterinarians or qualified professionals based on clinical examination and diagnostic findings.

Replace Veterinary Judgement: Kora provides guidance and tracks indicators. It does not replace professional expertise. Complex cases, unusual symptoms, critical conditions always require veterinary consultation.

Guarantee Treatment Success: Effectiveness depends on pathogen sensitivity, animal health status, environmental conditions, proper administration. Kora tracks outcomes to support learning and improvement.