A scoping review of antimicrobial stewardship teaching in pharmacy education curricula

Abstract

Objective. To conduct a scoping reviewof the existing literature to identify published studies on innovative teaching and assessment practices for antimicrobial stewardship in the Doctor of Pharmacy curriculum and to provide a foundation for future scholarly research in this important area. Findings. Seven studies were found that met the inclusion criteria. Two of the studies explored the extent, content, and methods of delivery of antimicrobial stewardship, four studies described elective courses in antimicrobial stewardship, and one study described an interprofessional module. Most studies were con-ductedintheUnitedStates. Several pharmacyschools intheUKandtheUSincorporatedantimicrobial stewardship teaching into their curriculum. Learning objectives for the elective courses focused on guidelines issued by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA), antimicrobial stewardshipliterature appraisal andprincipal application. The most used teaching strategy was didactic lectures, followed by case studies. Active-learning approaches like simula-tors, problem-based learning, and presentations were also used but to a lesser extent. Summary. Antimicrobial stewardship curricular reform may be influenced by the timing of the course, teaching approaches, and performance assessment of students. Antimicrobial stewardship learning should be a required of all pharmacy students. The scarcity of scholarly activity in the teaching of and assessment of learninginantimicrobial stewardshipsuggests that curricular planningshouldbe guidedbynational or inter-national organizations to ensure pharmacy students learn such important material.