How much do superbugs cost Australian hospitals? An evidence-based open-access tool.

Drug resistant "superbugs" are on the rise and pose a considerable threat. Little is known of their impact on health outcomes and costs to health services at a country-level. Local and relevant estimates that are realistic and derived with a transparent method can stimulate and inform policy responses. We describe an innovative online open-access tool, ResImpact that provides estimates of the national cost of common drug-resistant infections in Australia. Users are able to modify the proportion of five resistant organisms and be presented with an estimate of the associated healthcare costs. By translating complex economic data into a practical and user-friendly output, policy makers and other health professionals can improve their policy response for the Australian healthcare system.