Assessing the impact of using a patient counselling prompt—the TARGET antibiotic checklist in England’s community pharmacies

Background: An estimated 1.27 million deaths globally were caused by antibiotic-resistant infections in 2019. Outcome 2 of the UK national action plan to combat antimicrobial resistance is improved public engagement and education with a specific and measurable target. Objectives: To evaluate and compare 2 years of the use of the TARGET antibiotic checklist in England’s community pharmacies via the Pharmacy Quality Scheme (PQS). Methods: The use of the TARGET antibiotic checklist was incentivized in the PQS for 2021–22 and 2023–24 for patients presenting with antibiotic prescription in community pharmacy during a 4 week period each year. Results: A total of 406 333 patients were counselled using the TARGET antibiotic checklist, with 10 081 community pharmacies participating in either year and 6209 community pharmacies participating in both years. The most common indications for both years were chest and urinary tract infections with amoxicillin and nitrofurantoin, respectively, being the most frequently prescribed antibiotics for both PQS years examined. A total of 27 898 influenza vaccinations were delivered by community pharmacies prompted by discussions whilst using the antibiotic checklist. In addition, 140 473 patient information leaflets were provided to patients to improve knowledge about their condition and treatment and to support future self-care. Discussion: The investment in training and resources for community pharmacies through the PQS has provided opportunities for strengthening antimicrobial stewardship by equipping them with the tools to improve patient knowledge of antibiotic use, symptom resolution and antimicrobial resistance using the TARGET antibiotic checklist, as well as other resources from the TARGET Antibiotics Toolkit.