A pre-post educational intervention study among community pharmacists in antimicrobial stewardship

Community pharmacists have a pivotal role in antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) implementation, yet research on their role in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is scarce. This study aimed to explore community pharmacists' perceptions and practices towards AMS through a continuing education session.

A pre-post continuing education interventional design was used. Before and after the continuing education session, participants' perspectives and practices were collected and assessed. SPSS version 26 was employed for statistical analyses P value set at 0.05.

A total of 28 community pharmacists completed the education session and filled pre and post session survey. The perception towards AMS was generally positive both pre-and post-training; however, the only significant change in perception was regarding the belief that AMS decreases healthcare costs (P 0.006). In terms of practice, the participants indicated their improvement in being the first point of contact for patients with minor infections (P 0.044), identifying 'alarm' symptoms requiring further investigation (P 0.01), and conducting simple diagnostic tests (P 0.047). Other areas, such as educating patients and advising on self-care, showed no considerable changes post-training (P ranging from 0.162 to 0.935).

The study found general perception and practice of studied community pharmacists had limitations that can be improved with training. The perceptions of cost saving, managing minor infections, referrals for further investigation, and conducting point-of-care tests especially improved. The findings advocate for improvements in AMS-specific education, continuous professional development, and interprofessional collaboration to enhance the effectiveness of community pharmacists in fighting antimicrobial resistance.