Assessing the impact of the ‘Antibiotic Guardian Schools Ambassadors' initiative on trainee pharmacist learning and development

Thornley, Tracey; Miah, Tanya; Charlesworth, Jordan; Gilham, Ellie; Ayeni, Adeola.H.; Solanki, Kirti; Dunne, Richard; Ashiru-Oredope, Diane

Abstract

Background and introduction (100)
The World Health Organisation has declared that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the top 10 global public health threats facing humanity today. It is imperative that AMR and antimicrobial stewardship are recognised as important topics for early career pharmacy professionals to be able to navigate on a daily basis. Tackling AMR requires a collaborative and innovative multisectoral approach. In 2022, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and Boots UK joined forces to incorporate the ‘Antibiotic Guardian Schools’ Ambassadors Project’ within the Boots Trainee Pharmacist programme on a national scale to allow trainee pharmacists to join the fight against AMR. 100

Aims and objectives (100)
This project aimed to enable UK-wide trainee pharmacists working with Boots UK to educate young people on important public health topics such as microbes, hygiene, infection prevention, and antimicrobials. This would allow them to gain national public health experience and provide evidence towards meeting several GPHC interim learning outcomes. Their goals were to (1) deliver education lessons and activities at local schools and community groups; (2) encourage local schools and community groups to include a newsletter item on AMR; (3) provide information and raise awareness about the pharmacy profession to young people; and (3) collect data for analysis and evaluation. 100

Method (100)
A UKHSA toolkit, containing a variety of written and video resources, and logistical support from regional Boots Learning & Development teams was provided to trainee pharmacists to assist them in managing their projects, planning education lessons and activities, and with data collection, analysis, and evaluation. Pre and post project feedback forms were used to assess their AMR knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours as well as confidence levels delivering education lessons at each stage. The trainee pharmacists reached out to schools and groups within their local communities to gauge interest in participating with the project and deliver their education lessons and activities.100

Results (100)
197 trainee pharmacists registered to participate in the project. Interim analysis of data obtained from pre-project questionnaires suggests that greater than 95% of trainee pharmacists accurately answered 5 out of 8 AMR knowledge questions, and more than half were ‘quite’ or ‘very’ confident in speaking to colleagues (70.5%, 129/183), the public (66.1%, 121/183), and young people (58.5%, 107/83) about antimicrobial use. Early information obtained from feedback questionnaires suggests that trainee pharmacists felt they gained more confidence in delivering public health campaigns and providing health information to young people and were also able to make a positive contribution to their community. 100

Discussion and conclusion (100)
Trainee pharmacists participated in a national public health awareness campaign, gained valuable skills and confidence, and provided evidence of meeting many important GPHC interim learning outcomes. They educated young people on the importance of antimicrobial stewardship; this is especially important as statistics show that a large proportion of antimicrobials are prescribed to young people. They also became ‘Antibiotic Guardians’ and demonstrated a commitment to playing a role in preserving the future effectiveness of antimicrobials. Future work to develop this project, based on feedback, includes updating the UKHSA toolkit and making it available to all trainee pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. 99

Citation

Thornley, T., Miah, T., Charlesworth, J., Gilham, E., Ayeni, A., Solanki, K., Dunne, R., & Ashiru-Oredope, D. (2023, May). Assessing the impact of the ‘Antibiotic Guardian Schools Ambassadors' initiative on trainee pharmacist learning and development. Poster presented at Clinical Pharmacy Congress, London, UK

• Presentation Conference Type: Poster
• Conference Name: Clinical Pharmacy Congress
• Start Date: May 10, 2023
• End Date: May 11, 2023
• Deposit Date: May 5, 2023
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/20286922