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Editorial
. 2024 Feb 29;17(1):2316033.
doi: 10.1080/20523211.2024.2316033. eCollection 2024.

Exploring barriers and enablers of antibiotic amnesty campaigns

Philip Howard  1   2 , Gillian Hawksworth  3 , Sara Hussain  3 , Nafeesa Khan  3 , Rabiya Bahadar  3 , Jill Msindo  3 , Sarah Frank  3 , Mamoon A Aldeyab  3
Affiliations
Editorial

Exploring barriers and enablers of antibiotic amnesty campaigns

Philip Howard et al. J Pharm Policy Pract. .

Abstract

This editorial highlights the different barriers and enablers of antibiotic amnesty campaigns in community pharmacies. The main enablers of antibiotic amnesties included effective counselling and successful use of promotional resources, whilst the main barriers included lack of education in patients and staff. Enabling factors such as effective counselling and use of promotional resources should be continued with patients, whilst the main barriers can be tackled with provision of sufficient education, training, and knowledge for patients. Educating staff, by providing appropriate training to all staff members present in the pharmacy, can positively contribute to the success of antibiotic amnesty campaigns. The findings of this work can inform the development of interventions needed to improve antibiotic amnesties, resulting in more antibiotics being returned and contributing towards tackling the issue of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

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Conflict of interest statement

This work was approved by the School of Applied Sciences Research Integrity and Ethics Committee at the University of Huddersfield (SASSRIEC-04.01.23-1).

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