Evaluating the role of Primary Care Pharmacy Technicians in Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) and Acne Management using TARGET resources

Background: Inappropriate antibiotic prescribing is accelerating antimicrobial resistance (AMR)(1). Pharmacy professionals (Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians) promote good antibiotic prescribing practice. The traditional role of pharmacy technicians in supporting pharmacists and patients has expanded alongside the clinical expansion of pharmacist roles(2). This paper focuses on the opinion of pharmacy technicians and their role in the review of acne management and the evaluation of the UKHSA TARGET ‘How to review acne’ resources.Aims:To explore the impact of the TARGET resources on the capability, opportunity and motivation of pharmacy technicians in general practice in managing patients with acne, to evaluate the usefulness of the ‘How to review acne’ resources.Methods:A quantitative study using an electronic survey asking UK-based pharmacy technicians to rate their agreement on a 5-point Likert scale with 21 predefined statements, themed on the COM-B model and usefulness of the specific TARGET resources for acne.Findings:The survey found that capability and opportunity in managing acne in the group familiar with TARGET resources was higher than the group not familiar with TARGET resources. Scores for motivation in both groups were high; pharmacy technicians have the motivation to undertake infection management roles, whether or not they are familiar with the TARGET toolkit. The toolkit ‘How to review acne’ resources were overall rated as useful in supporting the review of patients with acne.Conclusion:The TARGET toolkit is an effective resource that helps to upskill pharmacy technicians in the area of AMS, increasing capability and opportunity in the management of acne