About this course

Antimicrobial resistance is a globally rising phenomenon and continues to be a public health threat. An antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) team, comprised of infectious diseases-trained pharmacists and doctors, hold the crucial role of implementing direct and sustainable patient care activities that can successfully control antimicrobial resistance and improve patient outcomes. The first lecture of this e-learning module discusses the role and strategies of an AMS team and how non-AMS trained pharmacists can help promote antimicrobial stewardship.

The relationship between over-the-counter medicines, self-care, and public health is complex. The second lecture of this e-learning module focuses on how the community pharmacist can effectively engage with patients when supplying over-the-counter medicines whilst promoting medication safety.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning module, participants should be able to:

• Outline the process of antimicrobial resistance development.
• Recognize the role and need of an antimicrobial stewardship team in hospitals.
• Identify different direct patient care activities that promote antimicrobial stewardship and achieve better patient outcomes.
• Acknowledge their role in preventing antimicrobial resistance and misuse of over-the-counter medicines.
• Understand the relationship between over-the-counter medicines, self-care, and public health.
• Identify the common misconceptions and challenges patients face when selecting over-the-counter medicines.
• Adopt communication strategies that aim to build trust and rapport with patients when supplying over-the-counter medicines.

Topics covered

• Optimizing Antibiotic Use: A Deep Dive into Antimicrobial Stewardship
  • Principles of antimicrobial resistance
  • A deep dive into Singapore’s journey of antimicrobial stewardship
• Empowering Patients: A Guide to Safe and Informed Over-the-Counter Medication Use
  • Over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, self-care, and public health
  • Patient misconceptions and challenges when selecting OTC Medicines
  • Meaningful conversations with patients
  • Counselling and communication strategies
  • Common precautions with OTC medicines
  • Identifying misuse and overuse of OTC medicines