Pharmacists’ Perspectives of Their Roles in Antimicrobial Stewardship: A Qualitative Study among Hospital Pharmacists in Malaysia

Antimicrobial resistance has negatively impacted patient outcomes and increased healthcare costs. Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) includes all activities and policies to promote the judicious use of antimicrobials. Pharmacists are key players in AMS models worldwide. However, there is a research gap in the role of pharmacists as antimicrobial stewards in Malaysia. This study aimed to explore hospital pharmacists’ perspectives on their roles in, and barriers and facilitators to the implementation of AMS strategies. Individual, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 hospital pharmacists involved in AMS activities from 13 public hospitals in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor. Audio-taped interviews were transcribed verbatim and imported into NVivo software version 10.0 (QSR). A thematic analysis method was used to identify themes from the qualitative data until theme saturation was reached. Respondents perceived pharmacists as having important roles in the implementation of AMS strategies, in view of the multiple tasks they were entrusted with. They described their functions as antimicrobial advisors, antimicrobial guardians and liaison personnel. The lack of resources in terms of training, manpower and facilities, as well as attitudinal challenges, were some barriers identified by the respondents. Administrative support, commitment and perseverance were found to be facilitators to the role of pharmacists in AMS. In conclusion, pharmacists in public hospitals play important roles in AMS teams. This study has provided insights into the support that AMS pharmacists in public hospitals require to overcome the barriers they face and to enhance their roles in the implementation of AMS strategies.