Pharmacist-led antimicrobial stewardship program in an urgent care setting

Area of Science:

• Pharmacology
• Infectious Diseases
• Public Health

Background:

• Antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) are crucial for combating antimicrobial resistance.
• While successful in inpatient and emergency settings, ASP implementation in urgent care (UC) is less documented.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a pharmacist-led ASP in an urgent care setting.
• To assess changes in antibiotic prescribing patterns and patient outcomes post-implementation.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective quasi-experimental study compared pre- and post-ASP implementation in UC.
• Evaluated patients with positive urine or wound cultures post-discharge.
• Assessed guideline-concordant prescribing, follow-up requirements, revisit rates, and hospital admissions.

Main Results:

• Guideline-concordant prescribing significantly improved post-ASP implementation (41.3% to 53.3%).
• Guideline-concordant antibiotic selection also showed significant improvement (51% to 68%).
• No significant differences were observed in revisits or hospital admissions.

Conclusions:

• A pharmacist-led urgent care ASP effectively enhances appropriate antimicrobial prescribing.
• This model demonstrates potential for improving antibiotic use in ambulatory settings.