Pharmacists are the most accessible healthcare professionals and are fully competent in all aspects of medicines. They serve as communicators and educators on healthy behaviours and infection prevention. They increase the coverage of immunisation in hard-to-reach groups, and are in a good position to explain the importance of using antimicrobials only when needed.
As highlighted in the FIP statement of policy “Mitigating antimicrobial resistance through antimicrobial stewardship”, pharmacists play a key role to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR). They can support the antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) team by promoting the optimal use of antimicrobials, monitoring and auditing the prescriptions, and educating health professionals and patients, which may in turn lead to reduction in inappropriate antimicrobial use and/or unnecessary broad-spectrum antimicrobial use, improvement in patients’ clinical outcomes, reduction in the emergence of antimicrobial resistance and saving in the health care costs.
|
Pharmacists provide effective medication management for both short and long-term Where pharmacists are legally allowed to prescribe antibiotics, fast and reliable Pharmacists collect unused or waste medicines, reducing the contamination of More information on pharmacists’ contribution can be found in the FIP report |
 |
What is FIP doing to stem AMR?
Policy and advocacy on AMR at global health arena
FIP was pleased to contribute to the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) consultations to develop the Global action plan on antimicrobial resistance that was subsequently adopted by the 68th World Health Assembly. Since then, FIP has been collaborating with the WHO on the plan’s implementation. For example, FIP was one of the reviewers of the WHO Competency Framework for Health Workers’ Education and Training on Antimicrobial Resistance. Consequently, FIP contributed to the WHO Health Workers’ Education and Training on Antimicrobial Resistance: Curriculum Guide. FIP’s contribution on both publications is acknowledged.
FIP represents voices of pharmacists at the World Health Assembly. At the 76th World Health Assembly, FIP highlighted pharmacists’ role in combating AMR via statement under the global strategy on infection prevention and control. At the 74th World Health Assembly in 2021, FIP reiterated to ministers that the pharmacy profession around the world is committed to being part of the solution to antimicrobial resistance.
Considering pharmacists’ contribution to combating AMR, antimicrobial stewardship is a key focus area for FIP, as indicated by FIP Development Goal 17 (Antimicrobial Stewardship).
The FIP Commission on minimising AMR
FIP continues to facilitate the essential contributions of the pharmacy profession to AMR reduction around the world (e.g., through surveillance and monitoring of antimicrobial use and resistance, antibiotics distribution and regulation) and is driving action through the FIP Commission on AMR, which is comprised of pharmacy experts with international reach and diverse backgrounds. The commission is co-chaired by FIP vice president Ms Manjiri Gharat (India) and Prof. Cátia Caneiras (Portugal).
Taking an inclusive approach to antimicrobials (antiviral, antifungal, antibacterial, anti-parasitic, biocides, disinfectants etc.), the commission is focused on:
- Providing expertise and advice on AMR across research, pharmacy practice and education in order to inform FIP’s internal discussions (e.g., to appraise FIP’s strategic and policy recommendations) as well as FIP’s collaboration with external partners;
- Delivering AMR-related events for World Antibiotic Awareness Week annually and ensuring the visibility of the FIP AMR agenda at all relevant FIP events and congresses;
- Working with collaborators from public and private sphere;
- Promoting focused education and training on AMR for undergraduate education and continuing professional development;
- Advocating for optimised antimicrobial use, AMS and mitigating of AMR, in all resource settings;
- Exploring global initiatives in AMR and opportunities for pharmacists’ involvement;
- Supporting scientific research to generate knowledge and evidence on antimicrobials to rationalise antimicrobial use and minimise resistance.
The commission’s imminent AMR activities span education, policy and public health, with related work in the area of vaccination and safety of medicines. They are in line with the FIP Development Goal 17 (Antimicrobial stewardship) as well as 16 (Communicable disease). For example, they include building a repository of resources for pharmacists in different settings and a broad engagement exercise during World Antimicrobial Awareness Week, taking the form of a series of events that typically run in all six WHO regions.
FIP AMR Resource Repository
Through the work of the AMR Commission, FIP has created a repository of AMR resources to support different countries with materials around AMR with a particular focus on activities and work being done by pharmacists globally.
The resources have been collated and organised by region and include educational materials, research publications, reports and courses that can be used globally to support the enhancement of the pharmacist’s role in AMS.
World Antimicrobial Awareness Week
Celebrated annually, World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW) aims to increase awareness of global antimicrobial resistance and to encourage best practices among the general public, health workers and policy makers to avoid the further emergence and spread of drug-resistant infections.
FIP was one of the contributors shaping the commemoration of the first ever WAAW, in collaboration with the WHO, in 2015. Since then, FIP has marked WAAW annually and supports aligning national AMR pharmacy campaigns.
During WAAW 2023, FIP conducted webinar series about “Antimicrobial resistance and stewardship education: supporting development of the pharmaceutical workforce” and “New roles of pharmacists in antimicrobial resistance: fungal disease management”. During the first webinar, FIP's AMR and AMS education report was launched. The second webinar was organised in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (USA) and the World Health Organisation's AMR Division.
FIP also hosted regional workshops where development headline needs in AMR and AMS were discussed: workshop 1 focused on the Eastern Mediterranean, Europe and Americas regions; and workshop 2 focused on the Western Pacific, Southeast Asia and Africa regions. Furthermore, the AMS in action webinar series that were co-hosted by the Commonwealth Pharmacists Association on topics including pharmacists’ contribution in hospital AMS multidisciplinary team, and what tools and resources can support AMS initiatives.
Click for 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and future events.
FIP Insight Board on AMR & AMS
FIP published an insight board report on “Antimicrobial resistance and stewardship in the management of respiratory diseases in the United States”. With a focus on the USA, the insight board provides practices and regulations concerning antimicrobial resistance and stewardship, as well as respiratory infection management. It discusses unique challenges related to point-of-care testing, collaboration with other healthcare professionals and reimbursement of services. The report also includes suggestions on how to educate patients and healthcare professionals. Additionally, it offers ideas on increasing awareness of One Health, integrating One Health concepts into pharmacy curricula, and fostering collaboration with various sectors within One Health.
Upcoming events
FIP is organising various sessions at FIP congress in Cape Town which will be held from 1 to 4 September 2024. For example, the session “Global impact, local solutions: Pharmacists tackling antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in low-resource settings” will showcase case studies from Tanzania and Malawi to present multi-year initiatives in resource-limited settings.