Role of antibiotic pharmacists gets doctors' support
Pharmacists working on wards can draw attention to antibiotic prescribing
issues |
Support for hospital antibiotic pharmacists has been given this week in a report released by the British Medical Association.
At the launch of the report, Robert Spencer, chairman of the Hospital
Infection Society and medical microbiologist, said that these pharmacists
have an essential role in the development and implementation of antibiotic
policies and guidelines. He praised the work that hospital pharmacists
do at the ward level in bringing potential antibiotic prescribing issues
to the attention of doctors or
microbiologists.
The Government’s commitment
of nearly £12m for funding antibiotic
pharmacists in acute NHS trusts (PJ, 14 June 2003, p813) will soon be
coming to an end. Dr Spencer said that he “would like to see this
funding continue beyond the three-year initiative”.
The BMA report offers new guidance for health care professionals on health
care associated infections (HCAIs) in a bid to reduce the incidence of
HCAIs by at least 15 per cent — a goal that could save the NHS
some £150m and reduce patient deaths. The panel of experts emphasised
the fact that patients are at risk of HCAIs in all health care settings
and that any kind of infection acquired in a health institution would
constitute an HCAI, not just methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus
aureus or Clostridium difficile.
The report calls for health professionals to refocus on hand hygiene
to prevent spread of infection, but the report also identifies time constraints
and poor access to washing facilities as barriers to hand-washing compliance.
Dr Spencer said: “We cannot rely on the pharmaceutical industry
to [come to our rescue with] a magic antibiotic. There needs to be a
big emphasis on prevention of infection, not treatment, to preserve [the
current] antibiotics.” The new report endorses the role of clinical
pharmacists in the support of prudent antimicrobial prescribing in hospitals.
Speaking at the press conference, Vivienne Nathanson, head of ethics
and science at the BMA, emphasised that all health care workers — including
pharmacists — need to work as a team to help reduce HCAIs. |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal
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