Pharmacist participation in antimicrobial stewardship in Australian and French hospitals: a cross-sectional nationwide survey

Background: Hospital pharmacists are an integral part of antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programmes globally. Currently, little is known as to how hospital pharmacists see their role and involvement within the AMS framework. Objectives: To assess the current level of involvement of Australian and French hospital pharmacists in AMS programmes and identify barriers limiting their involvement in AMS. Methods: Hospital pharmacists throughout Australia and France were invited to participate in a nationwide online survey throughout March-May 2016. The survey was promoted through the national hospital pharmacists' association in Australia, while a stratified sampling method was used in France to invite pharmacists working in a variety of hospital settings. Results: Invitations to participate in this survey were sent to 334 Australian pharmacists and 482 French pharmacists. Responses from133 Australian and 126 French pharmacists were included for analysis. A total of 78.4% (203/259) of pharmacists reported the presence of an AMS programme. Pharmacists were most likely to be involved in AMS through assessing total antibiotic consumption and participating in AMS committee meetings. Barriers to participating in AMS included a lack of time and substantial non-clinical activities limiting involvement in AMS. Differences in responses were found between the two countries. Conclusions: While the majority of pharmacists reported the presence of an AMS programme, multiple barriers to participation were identified by pharmacists in both countries. Further research should consider how to overcome the identified barriers to optimize the involvement of pharmacists in AMS.