On February 5, 2020, PharmD students organized an antimicrobial awareness community outreach in Thumbay Pharmacy and Thumbay Day Care in Rolla, Sharjah. The aim of the engagement focused on the overuse and misuse of antibiotics, ways society can help in preventing the spread of antibiotic resistance, awareness on the current rates of resistance in the region and the spread of superbugs. The students also played a role in alerting the community and involved healthcare professionals on the national impact and the cost of handling resistant infections.
Patients from various nationalities and backgrounds were educated on the matter. An elderly patient from Pakistan commented on the importance of conveying this message to his community and protecting his family from misuse of antibiotics. A 29-year-old Middle Eastern male patient commented: “I received very good information which I didn’t know before, I will inform all my friends and relatives. Thank you for the information.”
