Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians have an important role to play in monitoring antibiotic use as they clinically screen drugs as part of their everyday practice. It is also important to be mindful of the potential for antibiotic-related interactions, particularly the fluoroquinolone and macrolide classes of antibiotic. 

Most Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) will have local infection management guidelines. It is important to have an up-to-date copy of these guidelines available. When screening antibiotic prescriptions the following should be considered:

• Is the prescribed antibiotic the most appropriate for the infection according to guidelines?
• Is the dose, route, frequency and duration appropriate for the patient?

If a patient presents with an antibiotic prescription that is post-dated or is being presented several days or weeks after the date of issue, it is important to determine if the same antibiotic is still required. It may be prudent to contact the prescriber if, for example, symptoms have worsened or there are other warning symptoms. 

Antibiotic Guardian

Developed in 2014, the Antibiotic Guardian campaign calls on everyone in the UK, both healthcare professionals and members of the public, to become a guardian by selecting a pledge about how each will make better use of antibiotics and help save these vital medicines from becoming obsolete. All pharmacy team members are encouraged to choose their individual pledge and to encourage customers and patients to do the same. Join the conversation on Facebook or Twitter using #AntibioticGuardian.