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Hospital Pharmacists and Antimicrobial Stewardship: A Qualitative Analysis

Authors :
Lok Hang Wong
Evonne Tay
Shi Thong Heng
Huiling Guo
Andrea Lay Hoon Kwa
Tat Ming Ng
Shimin Jasmine Chung
Jyoti Somani
David Chien Boon Lye
Angela Chow
Source :
Antibiotics, Vol 10, Iss 12, p 1441 (2021)
Publication Year :
2021
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2021.

Abstract

Antimicrobial stewardship programmes (ASPs) in hospitals are predominantly led by specific ASP physicians and pharmacists. Limited studies have been conducted to appreciate non-ASP-trained hospital pharmacists’ perspectives on their roles in antimicrobial stewardship. Focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted with 74 pharmacists, purposively sampled from the 3 largest acute-care public hospitals in Singapore, to explore facilitators and barriers faced by them in antimicrobial stewardship. Applied thematic analysis was conducted and codes were categorised using the social–ecological model (SEM). At the intrapersonal level, pharmacists identified themselves as reviewers for drug safety before dispensing, confining to a restricted advisory role due to lack of clinical knowledge, experience, and empowerment to contribute actively to physicians’ prescribing decisions. At the interpersonal level, pharmacists expressed difficulties conveying their opinions and recommendations on antibiotic therapy to physicians despite frequent communications, but they assumed critical roles as educators for patients and their caregivers on proper antibiotic use. At the organisational level, in-house antibiotic guidelines supported pharmacists’ antibiotic interventions and recommendations. At the community level, pharmacists were motivated to improve low public awareness and knowledge on antibiotic use and antimicrobial resistance. These findings provide important insights into the gaps to be addressed in order to harness the untapped potential of hospital pharmacists and fully engage them in antimicrobial stewardship.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
20796382
Volume :
10
Issue :
12
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Antibiotics
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.8c9151622a114e4f9e8b2403ce0e48c7
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics10121441