Antimicrobial Stewardship in Community Pharmacy

Acute otitis media (AOM) is the most common indication for antibiotics for Canadian paediatric patients. As the gatekeepers of safe and effective prescription pharmacotherapy, community pharmacists are well positioned to influence and optimize antibiotic use. The purpose of this project is to develop, implement, and evaluate an antimicrobial stewardship program in the community pharmacy setting that aims to optimize antibiotic use for AOM. This nonrandomized pre-post study includes children aged 6 months to 12 years presenting with an antibiotic prescription for AOM at two community pharmacies in Toronto, Ontario. Participants are excluded if they exhibit signs/symptoms of mastoiditis, have an additional indication for systemic antibiotics, or parents/guardians cannot consent in English. The multifaceted AMS intervention includes pharmacist education, a clinical decision support tool, a parent/guardian questionnaire, and individualized monthly audit and feedback with each pharmacist. Prescriptions are reviewed and adapted by the pharmacist to optimize congruence with 2016 Canadian Paediatric Society AOM guidelines. The primary outcome is the percentage change in guideline congruence attributable to pharmacist intervention. This study will provide insight into the opportunities and barriers of developing large-scale antimicrobial stewardship programs for community pharmacies.