Short Term Medical Mission Antibiotic Protocol

Author

Greg Jennings, Southern Illinois University EdwardsvilleFollow

Date of Award

Winter 12-17-2021

Document Type

DNP Project

Project Team Faculty Member

Dr. Elise Harmon

Project Team Faculty Member

Dr. Bernadette Sobczak

Abstract

Background/Introduction: Short term medical mission trips are growing in popularity and with this growth the level of care provided must remain evidenced based. Mission groups traveling to developing countries consist primarily of volunteers. And while many of those serving on mission trips are medically trained, some have minimal healthcare knowledge. Pharmacists are not always available to dispense medications on mission trips and therefore it is common for registered nurses in the pharmacy to dispense the medications prescribed by the providers. Because the medications available on mission trips are limited, often times substitutions must be made, especially when it comes to antibiotics.

Purpose: To help ensure that the standard of care was maintained, an antibiotic protocol was developed for a short-term medical mission trip in Guatemala.

Methods: A pre-test will be given to all pharmacy team members on the trip to assess their baseline knowledge regarding antibiotics. After the pre-test, an educational session will be held to explain the protocol and how to utilize it. On the last day of the trip, a post-test will be given to the team to evaluate if antibiotic knowledge improved after learning and using the protocol to make appropriate antibiotic substitutions.

Results: There was an increase in understanding of antibiotic substitutions after the educational session, and utilizing the protocol in the pharmacy. The participants reported an ease of use and demonstrated the understanding of the antibiotic protocol on the post test compared to the pre-test.

Limitations: The long-term impact of the project cannot be evaluated on one mission trip.

Conclusions/Implications for Practice: Long-term use of this protocol on future mission trips will be helpful for continued evaluation.

Recommended Citation

Jennings, Greg, "Short Term Medical Mission Antibiotic Protocol" (2021). Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects. 182.
https://spark.siue.edu/dnpprojects/182

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