Antimicrobial Stewardship Programmes in Community Healthcare Organisations in England: A Cross-Sectional Survey to Assess Implementation of Programmes and National Toolkits

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess antimicrobial stewardship activities in Community Healthcare Organisations (CHOs) with focus on the implementation of the two national antimicrobial stewardship toolkits, TARGET (Treat Antibiotics Responsibly, Guidance, Education, Tools) and SSTF (Start Smart, then Focus). The study utilised a web-based survey comprising 34 questions concerning antimicrobial policies and awareness and implementation of antimicrobial stewardship toolkits. This was distributed to pharmacy teams in all 26 CHOs in England. Twenty CHOs (77%) responded. An antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) committee was active in 50% of CHOs; 25% employed a substantive pharmacist post and 70% had a local antibiotic policy. Fourteen of the responding CHOs were aware of both AMS toolkits, five organisations were aware of either SSTF or TARGET, and one organisation was not aware of either toolkit. Of the organisations aware of SSTF and TARGET, eight had formally reviewed both toolkits, though three had not reviewed either. Less than half of the respondents had developed local action plans for either toolkit. National guidance in England has focused attention on initiatives to improve AMS implementation in primary and secondary care; more work is required to embed AMS activities and the implementation of national AMS toolkit recommendations within CHOs.

The Impact of the SARS-Cov2 Pandemic on a Persuasive Educational Antimicrobial Stewardship Program in a University Hospital in Southern Italy: A Pre-Post Study

“…This increase could be due both to the overuse of antimicrobials in patients with severe COVID-19 [6], as well as to the interruption of antimicrobial stewardship programs because of the redeployment of personnel to other areas. In fact, several antimicrobial stewardship activities have been stopped during the pandemic, mainly because of the reduction in available resources, as reported in a survey conducted among 95 healthcare facilities in the United Kingdom [13]. However, few data are available on the effect of this interruption.…”

Knowledge, attitude, and practices of community pharmacy staff toward antimicrobial stewardship programs: a cross-sectional study from Northeastern China

“…Similarly, many participants (40.6%) strongly believed that 'adequate training should be provided to community pharmacists on antimicrobial use,' which shows a positive perception of participants regarding ASPs. Many studies have already demonstrated that ASPs are vital for reducing antimicrobial substitution [35][36][37][38]. It is, therefore, critical for the government to accelerate the implementation of ASPs in community settings.…”

Implementation Fidelity In A Multifaceted Program To Foster Rational Antibiotics Use In Primary Care: An Observational Study

“…A further quantitative delity analysis utilized attendance lists, checklists, worksheets, exit surveys and expert observations to allow a sophisticated view on a team-based, behavioral intervention in care aids [50]. Focusing on rational antibiotic prescribing efforts, research on antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programs in British community healthcare organizations was applied by a web-based survey strategy to gain insights about the engagement in introduced stewardship toolkits being a part of a ve-year crossgovernmental awareness strategy [51]. In a cluster randomized controlled trial which aimed to promote AMS among British community pharmacies to improve the management of respiratory tract infections, an accompanied process evaluation was conducted [52] in a cross-sectional survey design based on the COM-B (capability, opportunity, motivation and behavior) model [53].…”