SYSTEMATIC SCREENING OF ANTIBIOTIC TREATMENTS BY CLINICAL PHARMACISTS
European Statement
Clinical Pharmacy Services
Author(s)
Sebastian Philip, Andreas Lundgaard
Why was it done?
The screening aimed to ensure the rational use of antibiotics, contributing to the fight against antibiotic resistance and potentially shortening hospital stays by optimizing treatment.
What was done?
A systematic screening of antibiotic treatments for patients was conducted as part of the daily tasks performed by clinical pharmacists at The Medical Acute Care Unit, Bispebjerg Hospital.
How was it done?
For each patient receiving antibiotic treatment in the emergency department, the chosen therapy was systematically reviewed against regional antibiotic guidelines, considering factors such as allergies, resistance profiles, renal function, clinical indication and overall condition of the patient. Recommendations of adjustment of treatment were discussed with the attending physician for potential changes in therapy, including changes to dosage, frequency, route of administration, alternative antibiotic drug, or discontinuation of treatment. All interventions were documented, including the details of the therapy, the recommendation, and whether the attending physician approved the suggested changes.
What has been achieved?
A large dataset has been collected, detailing the number of patients receiving antibiotic treatment, the number of interventions conducted, the specific antibiotic treatment each patient received, the type of intervention performed and its indication, and whether the intervention was approved or rejected by the responsible physician.
The project has laid the groundwork for understanding the clinical pharmacist’s role in enhancing rational antibiotic pharmacotherapy.
What next?
It is planned to analyze the collected data to determine the types of changes in therapy most commonly recommended by clinical pharmacists and to which degree the interventions were approved or denied by the attending physician.
This will provide insights into the pharmaceutical contributions to more rational antibiotic use, highlighting commonly observed ‘areas for improvement’ that could potentially be addressed through education.