TY - JOUR
T1 - Exploring drivers and challenges influencing antibiotic prescribing in outpatient settings and possible mitigation strategies in the United Arab Emirates: a qualitative study
AU - Sadeq, Ahmed A
AU - Issa, Farah Ahmed
AU - Bakhit, Mina
AU - Al-Tamimi, Maitha Abdul-Aziz
AU - Babiker, Zahir Osman Eltahir
AU - Alshabebi, Raghad S Ismail
AU - Abdallah, Jehad
AU - Nsutebo, Emmanuel Fru
AU - Moukarzel, Marleine B
AU - Abukhater, Rawan
AU - Conway, Barbara R
AU - Bond, Stuart E
AU - Khan, Sidra
AU - Aldeyab, Mamoon A
N1 - © The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.
PY - 2023/10/9
Y1 - 2023/10/9
N2 - OBJECTIVES: Healthcare institutions implement antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programmes to optimize the use of antibiotics. The focus is often on inpatient rather than outpatient settings. We aimed to explore perceptions of AMS stakeholders on effective interventions for appropriate antibiotic use in outpatient settings, and the role of clinical pharmacists in the AMS multidisciplinary team.METHODS: A qualitative semi-structured interview study using thematic analysis by two researchers independently. Participants that practice AMS programmes were recruited from healthcare facilities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Interviews were conducted face to face or online and transcribed verbatim.RESULTS: Four themes emerged: (i) Perceived factors leading to unnecessary or inappropriate antibiotic prescribing and their impact on patients and the community; (ii) current outpatient AMS activities and perceived barriers and facilitators for their sustainability; (iii) suggested outpatient AMS strategies to be implemented in outpatient settings; and (iv) perceived future AMS implementation barriers and suggested mitigation strategies.CONCLUSIONS: Several AMS interventions, together with the presence of a clinical pharmacist, may be effective in improving antibiotic use in UAE outpatient settings. Future research should investigate the most appropriate AMS strategy considering barriers and possible mitigation strategies to ensure sustainability.
AB - OBJECTIVES: Healthcare institutions implement antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programmes to optimize the use of antibiotics. The focus is often on inpatient rather than outpatient settings. We aimed to explore perceptions of AMS stakeholders on effective interventions for appropriate antibiotic use in outpatient settings, and the role of clinical pharmacists in the AMS multidisciplinary team.METHODS: A qualitative semi-structured interview study using thematic analysis by two researchers independently. Participants that practice AMS programmes were recruited from healthcare facilities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Interviews were conducted face to face or online and transcribed verbatim.RESULTS: Four themes emerged: (i) Perceived factors leading to unnecessary or inappropriate antibiotic prescribing and their impact on patients and the community; (ii) current outpatient AMS activities and perceived barriers and facilitators for their sustainability; (iii) suggested outpatient AMS strategies to be implemented in outpatient settings; and (iv) perceived future AMS implementation barriers and suggested mitigation strategies.CONCLUSIONS: Several AMS interventions, together with the presence of a clinical pharmacist, may be effective in improving antibiotic use in UAE outpatient settings. Future research should investigate the most appropriate AMS strategy considering barriers and possible mitigation strategies to ensure sustainability.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85175211305&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1093/jacamr/dlad109
DO - 10.1093/jacamr/dlad109
M3 - Article
C2 - 37818393
SN - 2632-1823
VL - 5
SP - 1
EP - 9
JO - JAC-Antimicrobial Resistance
JF - JAC-Antimicrobial Resistance
IS - 5
M1 - dlad109
ER -