ANTIBIOTIC MISUSE: A THREAT TO THE COMMUNITY

Lack of awareness about antibiotics use among healthcare practitioners can be a great threat to the community. There is a need to bring awareness among the healthcare providers and the pharmacists regarding the over the counter (OTC) medications list and indications of OTC medication prescribing and dispensing. Pharmacists are important members of the healthcare team and they play a major role in medicine use and the provision of advice regarding appropriate medicines use. Education and training of pharmacists has the potential to influence the behavior of healthcare team members and consumers as part of a multidimensional strategy for changing practice and ensuring the quality use of antibiotics. They are well placed to improve the understanding of antibiotics and inform their judicious use by direct contact with consumers in the community and in hospitals. Consumer education is an important component of the fight against AMR and pharmacists can improve consumer’s awareness of safe and appropriate medication practices concerning antibiotics. Interventions should encompass the enforcement of the policy of prohibiting the over-the-counter sale of antibiotics, the utilization of antimicrobial stewardship programmes, the active participation of clinicians in audits, the use of valid rapid point-of-care tests, the promotion of delayed antibiotic prescribing strategies, the enhancement of communication skills with patients with the help of data brochures and therefore the performance of more pragmatic studies in primary care with outcomes that are of clinicians’ interest, like complications and clinical outcomes.