CPH and Canadian University Deliver Webinar on Antimicrobial Care
2012-07-17
College of Pharmacy’s 11th continuing professional development webinar on June 20 drew 53 Qatar pharmacists from the hospital, primary care, community pharmacy, pharmacy regulatory and other sectors.
The internet-based seminar was the second in a series of collaborative continuing professional development activities involving the pharmacy colleges of Qatar University (QU) and the University of Toronto (UT).
The internet-based seminar was the second in a series of collaborative continuing professional development activities involving the pharmacy colleges of Qatar University (QU) and the University of Toronto (UT).
CPH teamed up with UT Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy to deliver the session on the topic "Antimicrobial Stewardship: Perspectives from Canada and Qatar". It involved internet-based input from four Canadian practitioners who provided an overview of the principles and practice of antimicrobial stewardship and their experiences in establishing programs in two Ontario health care settings.
Dr Linda Dresser, pharmacotherapy specialist and Assistant Professor of UT Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, and Dr Andrew Morris, infectious diseases specialist, director Mount Sinai Hospital Antimicrobial Program, and University Health Network and Associate Professor in the UT Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, discussed some of the fundamental concepts of antimicrobial stewardship and described their experiences in setting up their program in a large teaching hospital setting. Dr Jeff Powis, an infectious diseases physician and Suzanne Gill, an infectious diseases consultant pharmacist, discussed how their inter-professional team effectively promotes antimicrobial stewardship in a community hospital setting at Toronto East General Hospital, and how they successfully involved community pharmacists in promoting appropriate antimicrobial use.
CPH Assistant Professor Dr Emily Black also contributed to the session, reviewing the preliminary results of a recent survey of Qatar community and hospital pharmacists who responded to questions on the type of infections observed in their practice, the strategies to decrease unnecessary antimicrobial utilization, the type of consultations provided, and perceived barriers to the implementation or expansion of stewardship programs and pharmacist involvement.
CPH Dean Dr Peter Jewesson noted that the misuse of antibiotics continues to be an issue today and stressed that Qatar pharmacists in all practice settings need to work closely with physicians and other members of the healthcare sector to optimize antimicrobial use is optimized and curtail unnecessary prescribing. “Unlike other drug classes, the use of antimicrobials in one patient can affect the clinical outcome of another. Bacterial resistance, avoidable toxicity and unnecessary costs can be directly tied to overuse in both the community and hospital settings”, he said.