Novel Ways Demonstrate Excellent Improvement in Compliance with Trust Antimicrobial Prescribing Guidelines

As a local MedsIQ champion I am proud to summarise our local results in an effort to improve the adherence to our Trust’s antimicrobial prescribing policies as well as preventing potential harm to children on antibiotics.

There are gold standards for routine prescribing of antibiotics including documentation of indication, allergies and duration of course. Minimising unnecessary or unnecessarily long courses of antibiotic therapy does have a positive effect on bacterial resistance rates and healthcare associated infection such as Clostridium difficile.

Locally, our paediatric team have been successful in raising this adherence from 15% to consistently between 80 – 100% by local rapid audits over the past 3 years. Success is attributed to consultant ownership of the project with delegated junior ownership of the project on a 4 monthly basis, as well as the involvement and support of the nursing teams and pharmacists. Minimal changes to our prescribing charts in the form of a pink sticker (highlighting allergies/indication/duration), promotion of individual good practice as well as a novel advertising campaign has further enhanced our success.

Dr Gita Modgil, Consultant Paediatrician and Paediatric Diabetes Lead at Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton & Somerset NHS Foundation Trust