(B-073) Pharmacists' Perspectives on Antibiotic Shortages: Implications for Clinical Practice in Australia

Background: Antibiotic shortages are a global challenge that significantly affect pharmacists' daily practice. Despite their central role in managing these shortages, pharmacists' perspectives on the clinical implications remain understudied.

Objectives: To explore the impact of antibiotic shortages on clinical practice in Australian pharmacies and pharmacists' attitudes toward these challenges.

Methods: Semi-structured, fifteen-minute interviews were conducted with community and hospital pharmacists across Australia. Participants were recruited via social media, professional online platforms, and local networks. Data were analysed using grounded theory and thematic analysis.

Results: Seven key themes emerged: 1) experience with shortages, 2) shortage notifications, 3) shortage management procedures, 4) causes of shortages, 5) impact of shortages, 6) factors influencing the impact of shortages, and 7) strategies to reduce shortages. Pharmacists reported frequent encounters with shortages, which increased stress and workload while compromising patient care, leading to less effective therapies, more severe side effects, and an increased risk of antibiotic resistance. Contributing factors included late and incomplete notifications of shortages by regulatory organisations, the limited number of global manufacturing sites, Australia's small market size, insufficient collaboration or competition among pharmacies, and small stock capacities. Pharmacists expressed frustration over their limited ability to mitigate shortages and emphasized the need for policy-level solutions.

Conclusions: Antibiotic shortages pose a substantial challenge to Australian pharmacy practice and patient outcomes. Pharmacists perceive themselves as limited in their capacity to address this issue, highlighting the urgent need for coordinated national and international strategies to develop long-term solutions.