Antimicrobial stewardship

Antibiotic prescribing increases by more than 8% in one year

Data published by the government show that there was an increase in antibiotic prescribing, the number of antibiotic-resistant infections and antimicrobial resistance-associated deaths in England between 2021 and 2022.…

Nearly 900 packs of medicine returned to Midlands pharmacies during regional antibiotic amnesty

The Scottish government has said it also intends to run an amnesty campaign via community pharmacies.…

Pharmacists in developing countries to be offered training as part of UK government package to tackle AMR

Funding of £210m from the UK government's aid budget will support 20,000 training sessions for pharmacists and other healthcare staff.…

Outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy: managing the risk of adverse events

Outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) is a method by which IV antimicrobials are administered to patients in the community. Without an OPAT service, these patients would otherwise remain in hospital when deemed medically fit to be treated in the community setting. OPAT has the potential…

Urinary tract infection in adults: diagnosis, management and prevention

This article covers the optimisation of patient outcomes through prompt diagnosis of, and appropriate antibiotic prescribing for, urinary tract infections.…

Community pharmacy staff ‘essential’ in promoting antimicrobial stewardship, says NHS England

NHS England said its findings in a report highlighted the “essential clinical role” community pharmacy teams have in educating the public to ensure appropriate use of antibiotics.…

Academics warn prime minister of ‘extremely serious’ AMR consequences of Pharmacy First scheme in England

In an open letter to Rishi Sunak, senior academics have warned that the proposed scheme could "reverse the gains it makes" unless there is a strong focus on provision of antibiotics.…

Cystic fibrosis: management and monitoring of respiratory manifestations

An overview of the pharmacological management of respiratory symptoms in people with cystic fibrosis to ensure they can optimise benefit from their medication regime.…

NICE says more evidence needed for newer UTI point-of-care tests

Several newer point-of-care tests were not recommended in latest guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, in which it concluded that more research needs to be carried out on their accuracy.…

Government to call for research on effect of ‘Pharmacy First’ schemes on antibiotic use

The National Institute for Health and Care Research's "pre-call" announcement said a common conditions service in England "will commence no earlier than the end of October 2023", subject to successful commissioning.…