Interventions of an antibiotic management team

Objective: To evaluate interventions made by medical and pharmacy staff in association with an antibiotic approval system at Box Hill Hospital. Design: Ward pharmacists identified all restricted antibiotics and prescribers then obtained approval numbers from the Infectious Diseases Unit. Details of all antibiotic approvals, including interventions, were recorded by the Unit during a three month period. Details of ward pharmacists' antibiotic-related interventions were extracted from the Pharmacy's computer records. Results: During the study period, 195 requests for antibiotics requiring approval numbers were made. Approval was given in 93% of cases and there were 41 additional interventions made by Infectious Diseases Unit at the time of issuing the number. Overall, treatment was altered on 55 occasions (28%). Pharmacists recorded a further 37 major interventions subsequent to the approval of antibiotics. Conclusion: An approval system for selected antibiotics can limit inappropriate prescribing particularly when a team approach is used. (author abstract)