Pharmacy in AB resistance
July 22, 2014
PHARMACISTS can play a
significant role in helping combat
antibiotic resistance through their
activity in aged care facilities, the
Pharmaceutical Society of Australia
(PSA) has said.
This follows research published
in the Medical Journal of Australia
which showed residential aged
care facilities (RACFs) needed more
pharmacy support, with antibiotic
prescribing rarely reviewed.
Six out of 12 RACF did not have
access to on-site antibiotics for
after-hours use, which sometimes
hindered timely administration.
Medication review for individual
residents was only performed
annually by consultant pharmacists
through a scheduled residential
medication management review.
Pharmacists themselves perceived
major challenges in guiding
antibiotic use, citing their off-site
location, limited communication
with GPs and lack of access to
clinical notes - CLICK HERE.
PSA national president Grant
Kardachi said in addition
to Residential Medication
Management Reviews, which
provided limited opportunity
due to the timeframes involved,
pharmacists could provide
remunerated Quality Use of
Medicines (QUM) services which
were a valuable support to nursing
staff in the battle against antibiotic
resistance.
“The QUM service provider must
conduct at least one of the QUM
services per quarter to be eligible
for remuneration and this therefore
provides great opportunity to
supply ongoing education and
other services to patients and staff.
“Nurses are pivotal to the fight
against antibiotic resistance for
patients in this setting.
“They also have a very important
role in underpinning the education
provided by pharmacists by
reinforcing the messages about the
appropriate use of antibiotics.”
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 22 Jul 14To see the full newsletter, see the embedded issue below or CLICK HERE to download Pharmacy Daily from 22 Jul 14
