A week in the life of an antimicrobial pharmacist....
Monday 18th November:
Hi I’m Alison; I’m a qualified pharmacist & have worked in Raigmore Pharmacy Department for the last 14 years.
My role is to improve antibiotic use across NHS Highland. Learn more about it at
Today is European Antibiotic Awareness Day. Help keep antibiotics working by not expecting them for simple coughs, colds and sore throats.
Use simple home remedies to ease a sore throat – suck lozenges or hard sweets, drink soothing hot & cold drinks, eat soft food & ice lollies.
For colds & runny noses ask a pharmacist for advice on treating symptoms. Remember to let then know if you take any regular medicines #EAAD
Paracetamol is a great pain killer when you feel unwell as it helps headaches, fever and sore throats. #EAAD
Coughs can be annoying, try soothing drinks or home remedies like honey and lemon: fresh squeezed lemon & teaspoon of honey in hot water.
Most antibiotics are anti-bacterial, which are drugs that kill bacteria, but have no effect on viruses such as the common cold #EAAD
The more antibiotics are prescribed the more likely it is that resistance will develop. #EAAD
More appropriate use of antibiotics will mean they will be effective when we really need to rely on them. #EAAD
For serious infections like meningitis or pneumonia antibiotics are life saving, help us keep it that way. #EAAD
On average, ear infections last for 4 days, sore throats, and colds for a week. These timescales are the same with antibiotics. #EAAD
Supported an information stand in the canteen covering Infection Control Awareness Week and European Antibiotic Awareness Day today.
A good range of staff came to talk to Anne Chalmers, Infection Control Nurse & myself with many completing our quiz questions.
Check out NHS Highland news and events page for more information, quiz questions & pointers on surviving the cold/flu without antibiotics.
Tuesday
Promoting Infection Control Awareness Week with the nurses, good opportunity to link the antibiotic awareness message at the same time.
Been teaching a group of 6 medical students about prudent antibiotic prescribing.
Had a great discussion about management of urinary tract infection!
Understanding when to use antibiotics and which one to choose is vital to keeping these drugs working effectively.
When antibiotics alter the natural bacteria in the gut, more resistant organisms, such as C. diff, can overgrow and cause diarrhoea.
Reducing unnecessary antibiotic exposure is the best way lowering the chance of resistance developing.
Using less than the intended dose or a shorter course is one of the ways bacteria can become resistant to antibiotics.
Wednesday
I’m reviewing the annual report for the Out-patient Parenteral Antibiotic Therapy Service (OPAT) before our meeting this afternoon.
Some patients need weeks of treatment with antibiotic injections. OPAT means they don’t have to stay in hospital, which patients much prefer!
NHS Highland OPAT service works well because it has great support from Community Nursing Teams, GPs and staff in community hospitals.
We review all the patients at a weekly meeting, making sure the antibiotics are working and the patient is improving.
Patients from Skye to Strontian and Nairn have been treated by the OPAT service which the patients really appreciate, being nearer home.
Thursday
On the early train to Glasgow for a national meeting, looking forward to the networking opportunities. It’ll be a long day but worth it.
Attending a national event where guidelines for treatment of severe infection in cancer patients has been launched.
Recommendations for better use of some hospital only antibiotics to reduce resistance have been agreed for use in Scotland.
Intensive care patients and cancer patients get infections with different bacteria so antibiotics with broader cover are used.
As no new antibiotics are due for launch in the near future, we need to make best use of the ones we have.
Options for using some alternative drugs are interesting so I’ll be discussing these with our microbiologists back at base.
Great to see other colleagues from NHS Highland at the national event. Helps spread the word about these new guidelines.
Friday
Preparing some slides for a session to GPs next week on Microbiology & Antibiotic use & looking forward to some good discussions.
It’s a great opportunity to hear from prescribers about their antibiotic concerns and problems they face in daily practice.
Then we can ensure our guideline covers what is needed and is in a useful, easy to access format - got some posters to hand out on the day.
Last week I spoke to the Raigmore Patient Council about antibiotic issues, they were very helpful and had some good suggestions.
Two members agreed to join the Antimicrobial Management Team (AMT), a group in NHS Highland that looks at all matters antimicrobial.
The Pink One is sent to all prescribers across the board area every 2 months containing prescribing updates. It gets a great reception.
I’m writing some articles covering #EAAD, GP prescribing information and the management of skin infections. Short & snappy is best!
A reminder to visit for great advice on what you can do to stay well this winter. Take care, not antibiotics!
It’s been a great week, reflecting on what I do day to day, hope you’ve enjoyed hearing about my work.
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