Coaching ward pharmacists in antimicrobial stewardship: A pilot study

Area of Science:

• Pharmacology and Pharmacy Practice
• Infectious Diseases and Public Health

Background:

• Hospital antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programs rely on ward pharmacists to optimize antimicrobial use.
• Gaps in pharmacists' AMS knowledge, skills, and confidence necessitate targeted education and training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate an interactive coaching program designed to enhance ward pharmacists' AMS activities.
• To explore pharmacists' perceptions of coaching's impact on their AMS knowledge, skills, confidence, and practice.
• To document AMS recommendations made by coached pharmacists and their acceptance rates.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive pilot study utilizing qualitative evaluation of pharmacists' experiences with AMS coaching.
• Coaching was delivered over two months to ward pharmacists in general medical and surgical units.
• Focus groups assessed perceptions of coaching, and AMS recommendations were prospectively recorded.

Main Results:

• Ward pharmacists reported positive experiences, increased confidence in communicating recommendations, and improved ability to identify improvement opportunities.
• Workload emerged as the primary barrier to implementing coaching recommendations.
• Coached pharmacists made 162 AMS recommendations, with 69% accepted by prescribers.

Conclusions:

• Pharmacists perceived coaching as beneficial for enhancing AMS knowledge, skills, confidence, and practice.
• Coaching improved pharmacists' confidence in discussing antimicrobial prescribing recommendations with prescribers.
• Findings support the design and evaluation of future hospital-based AMS educational initiatives.