TOP PROJECT WINNER: INTERPROFESSIONAL PROGRAMS

Stephanie Woo, Alastair Mcalpine, Tonya Ng, and Shirley Yeung
BC Cancer

Stephanie Woo, Alastair Mcalpine, Tonya Ng, and Shirley Yeung were awarded a Top Project HOPE Award for their project, ‘Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) program at BC Cancer’.

The BC Cancer antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) program addresses AMS-related oncology practice needs through collaborative and innovative approaches. With the guidance of an interdisciplinary steering committee, the program consists of three core components to deliver comprehensive patient care: 1) inpatient program, 2) outpatient program, 3) clinical practice guidance/education. The program initiatives are led by the AMS clinical pharmacy specialist and AMS medical director.

Design: 1) The inpatient program involves the audit and feedback program and targeted antibiotic surveillance. 2) Outpatient program development includes: i) Scoping review to develop a road map; ii) exploratory analysis of outpatient antibiotic prescriptions; iii) quality improvement projects to engage prescribers, implement AMS strategies, measure impact. 3) Oncology-AMS related clinical guidance resources development features extensive stakeholder engagement.

Results: 1) The AMS program improved antimicrobial prescribing on the inpatient ward through the combination of the audit and feedback program and targeted antibiotic surveillance.

2) The exploratory analysis revealed outpatient antibiotic prescribing was prevalent at BC Cancer. These findings dispelled preconceived perceptions that oncology prescribers provided few antibiotics in the outpatient oncology setting. It also identified BC Cancer Dentistry as a new partner. Quality improvement work is underway to better describe oncology dental prescribing practices. The AMS team expects to develop more partnerships as they continue to review prescriptions across BC Cancer regional cancer centers.

3) The AMS team built a regionally- and provincially-evaluated stakeholder process for oncology-AMS related clinical practice guidance resources, leveraging the expertise of local oncology providers and AMS healthcare practitioners from health authorities across the province.

The interdisciplinary collaborative efforts of the BC Cancer AMS program initiatives are integral to enhancing patient care. In addition to inpatient work, the BC Cancer AMS program distinguishes itself with the development of its outpatient oncology AMS program and utilizing extensive provincial stakeholder engagement to produce clinical guidance.