It’s the year 2047, and I’m walking to work. The streets are quiet; I don’t see anyone on the way. I breathe a sigh of relief. Today will be a good day in the pharmacy.

The antibiotic resistance pandemic hit the UK hard. The population is smaller now, so we finally have the time to focus on services. While we patiently wait for an update on new service provisions from NHS England, I diligently complete medicines use reviews (MURs).

Pharmacy was always known as the frontline health provider but these days it has become the frontline in the war against infection. It finally happened: antibiotics no longer work and every day pharmacists risk their lives by engaging with patients who could potentially contaminate them.

I can’t forget about this threat during my discussion about anticoagulants with my regular patient, Mr Robb. He says he has been feeling unwell for the past few days. There is a feeling of tension; the hairs on the back of my neck rise. “Today has to be the day I forget to wear my facemask,” I think to myself. I console Mr Robb with a quick nod and indicate the MUR is over. As he gets up, he reaches out to shake my hand and staggers, then coughs. I don’t have enough time to cover my face. He got me. I know a bacterial infection is coming my way... this is how I die.

It may sound melodramatic, but this fictitious scenario isn’t too far from the potential future I see for pharmacy. Antibiotic resistance is real and it terrifies me. I don’t want to be working into my old age at a time when retirement age has crept up to more than 75 and I am susceptible to all sorts of diseases, with no way to treat simple infections. Community pharmacy will become a danger zone, the counter our no-man’s land.

This is why I feel it’s important to take note of World Antibiotic Awareness week, which begins today (November 16) and includes European Antibiotic Awareness day on Wednesday. Now is the time to be aware and make a difference.

A C+D online poll of 111 pharmacists, conducted between November 12 and 16, shows that 22% believe there is nothing they can do about antibiotic resistance. A further 49% believe their input is limited because the power ultimately lies with the prescriber. But there are a number of steps a pharmacist can take to help prevent inappropriate use of antibiotics:

1. Check that antibiotic prescriptions comply with local guidance and query those that do not

2. When customers present with a self-limiting respiratory infection, explain about the limited duration of the condition and how to treat the symptoms effectively with over-the-counter medicines – pointing out that antibiotics will not work and could have side effects

3. When handing out a prescription for antibiotics, inform the patient of the correct dose and encourage them to take it as prescribed

4. Indicate to patients where they can find more information about appropriate antibiotic use and resistance.

More than 17,000 people have signed up to become an antibiotic guardian – a scheme to prevent unnecessary use of antibiotics – so far. I encourage all pharmacists who, like me, are worried about antibiotic resistance to sign up to try to prevent this dark prediction of our future from becoming a reality.

Kristoffer Stewart is CPD and clinical editor of C+D, and a locum community pharmacist. Email him at [email protected] or contact him on Twitter at @CandDKristoffer

Read more by Kristoffer Stewart

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