PQS: Research published on the use of TYI RTI leaflets
An article has been published in the journal JAC – Antimicrobial Resistance highlighting outcomes of the 2022/23 and 2023/24 antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) quality criterion of the Pharmacy Quality Scheme (PQS).
In the 2022/23 and 2023/24 PQS, pharmacy teams reviewed their practice on AMS. This included using the TARGET Treating Your Infection (TYI) upper respiratory tract infection (RTI) leaflet and the urinary tract infection (UTI) leaflet to help assess patients presenting at the pharmacy with suspected upper RTI or UTI, provide tailored advice to them and promote awareness of antimicrobial resistance and AMS.
The article in JAC – Antimicrobial Resistance focuses on the outcome of the use of the RTI leaflets. The article states that across the two years:
- 225, 615 patients were reviewed using TYI RTI leaflets.
- A total of 7,525 pharmacies participated in the review for one year, with 7,407 taking part in both.
- The proportion of patients requiring escalation to the pharmacist fell from 23% in 2022/23 to 15% in 2023/24. Approximately one-third of patients were managed entirely by the wider pharmacy team.
- Signposting to another healthcare provider also declined, from 12% to 7%, with immediate escalation reducing from 6% to 4%.
- Most patients were offered over-the-counter (OTC) medicines — 85% in 2022/23 and 89% in 2023/24.
- Self-care advice was provided to almost all patients – 95% in 2022/23 and 97% in 2023/24.
- Around one-third received additional written information in both years.
The article concludes that community pharmacies successfully used the TYI RTI leaflets to support patient self-care, provide reassurance and safety-netting and reduce the need for escalation.
