TARGET stands for Treat Antibiotics Responsibly, Guidance, Education and Tools. It is a toolkit designed to support primary care clinicians to champion and implement antimicrobial stewardship activities. The resources can also be used to support CPD and revalidation requirements.
Blocks outline
- Section
- Section 1
- TARGET updates and news
All TARGET resources are reviewed every two to four years, depending on the specific resource, or more frequently if there are significant developments in the field. Any resource changes will be highlighted here: TARGET resource - publication and review dates v2
We publish two TARGET Antibiotics newsletters a year highlighting resource updates, new developments, publications and any planned future work that you may wish to be involved in.
If you would like to be mailed the newsletter please sign up here.
- May 2020 - TARGET newsletter - Vol 8
- July 2019 - TARGET newsletter - Vol 7
- March 2019 - TARGET newsletter - Vol 6
- November 2018 - TARGET antibiotic newsletter - Vol 5
- September 2018 - TARGET antibiotic newsletter - Vol 4
- May 2018 - TARGET antibiotic newsletter – Vol 3
- March 2018 - TARGET antibiotic newsletter – Vol 2
- November 2017 - TARGET antibiotic newsletter - Vol 1
TARGET publications2021
- Empowering patients to self-manage common infections: Qualitative study informing the development of an evidence-based patient information leaflet. https://doi:10.3390/antibiotics10091113
- Qualitative Investigation of the Acceptability and Feasibility of a Urinary Tract Infection Patient Information Leaflet for Older Adults and Their Carers.
- Preventing and Managing Urinary Tract Infections: Enhancing the Role of Community Pharmacists-A Mixed Methods Study. https://doi:10.3390/antibiotics9090583
2020
- Optimising management of UTIs in primary care: a qualitative study of patient and GP perspectives to inform the development of an evidence-based, shared decision-making resource. https://doi:10.3399/bjgp20X708173
- Infectious Disease and Primary Care Research-What English General Practitioners Say They Need. https://doi:10.3390/antibiotics9050265
- Self-Reported Antimicrobial Stewardship Practices in Primary Care Using the TARGET Antibiotics Self-Assessment Tool. https://doi:10.3390/antibiotics9050253
- Development of an information leaflet and diagnostic flow chart to improve the management of urinary tract infections in older adults; A qualitative study using the Theoretical Domains Framework. https://doi:DOI:10.3399/bjgpopen20X101044
- Is sharing the TARGET respiratory tract infection leaflet feasible in routine general practice to improve patient education and appropriate antibiotic use? A mixed methods study in England with patients and healthcare professionals. https://doi:10.1177/1757177420907698
- Diagnosis and Management of UTI in Primary Care Settings-A Qualitative Study to Inform a Diagnostic Quick Reference Tool for Women Under 65 Years. https://doi:10.3390/antibiotics9090581
- Improving Management of Respiratory Tract Infections in Community Pharmacies and Promoting Antimicrobial Stewardship: A Cluster Randomised Control Trial with a Self-Report Behavioural Questionnaire and Process Evaluation. https://doi:10.3390/pharmacy8010044
- What antimicrobial stewardship strategies do NHS commissioning organizations implement in primary care in England? https://doi:10.1093/jacamr/dlaa020
- Local implementation of national guidance on management of common infections in primary care in England. The Pharmaceutical Journal 2020, 10.1211/pj.2020.20207599, https://doi:10.1211/pj.2020.20207599
- What Resources do NHS Commissioning Organisations Use to Support Antimicrobial Stewardship in Primary Care in England? Antibiotics (Basel) 2020, 9, https://doi:10.3390/antibiotics9040158
- Feasibility of a community pharmacy antimicrobial stewardship intervention (PAMSI): an innovative approach to improve patients’ understanding of their antibiotics., https://doi:10.1093/jacamr/dlaa089
2019
- Public understanding and use of antibiotics in England: findings from a household survey in 2017. https://doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2019-030845
- Comparison of antibiotic treatment guidelines for urinary tract infections in 15 European countries: Results of an online survey. https://doi:10.1016/j.ijantimicag.2019.06.015
- Urinary tract infections: when is it appropriate to prescribe an antibiotic? Guidelines in Practice 2019, 22. https://doi:10.1093/jac/dky004
2018
- Effects of primary care antimicrobial stewardship outreach on antibiotic use by general practice staff: pragmatic randomized controlled trial of the TARGET antibiotics workshop., https://doi:10.1093/jac/dky004
- Qualitative study using interviews and focus groups to explore the current and potential for antimicrobial stewardship in community pharmacy informed by the Theoretical Domains Framework. https://doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2018-025101
- Effectiveness of Behavioural Interventions to Reduce Urinary Tract Infections and E. coli Bacteraemia for Older Adults Across all Care Settings: A Systematic Review. https://doi:10.1016/j.jhin.2018.10.013
- Urinary tract infections (UTIs); a leaflet for older adults, and carers: the development of a UTI leaflet for older adults and their carers. https://doi:10.3399/bjgp18X696833
- Qualitative study to explore the views of general practice staff on the use of point-of-care C reactive protein testing for the management of lower respiratory tract infections in routine general practice in England. https://doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2018-023925
2017
- Self-Assessment of Antimicrobial Stewardship in Primary Care: Self-Reported Practice Using the TARGET Primary Care Self-Assessment Tool. https://doi:10.3390/antibiotics6030016
- Animations designed to raise patient awareness of prudent antibiotic use: patient recall of key messages and their immediate effect on patient attitude. https://doi:10.1186/s13104-017-3048-0
- An evaluation of the TARGET (Treat Antibiotics Responsibly; Guidance, Education, Tools) Antibiotics Toolkit to improve antimicrobial stewardship in primary care—is it fit for purpose?https://doi:10.1093/fampra/cmx131
- Educating patients on antimicrobial use is key to combating resistance. Guidelines in Practice 2017.
- Common infections: when is the right time to prescribe an antimicrobial? In Guidelines in Practice, 2017.
2016
- How much information about antibiotics do people recall after consulting in primary care? https://doi:10.1093/fampra/cmw022
- Audit of Helicobacter pylori Testing in Microbiology Laboratories in England: To Inform Compliance with NICE Guidance and the Feasibility of Routine Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance. International journal of microbiology 2016, 2016. https://doi:10.3390/antibiotics6030016
2015
- Delayed/back up antibiotic prescriptions: what do the public think? https://doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2015-009748
- Incidence, severity, help seeking, and management of uncomplicated urinary tract infection: a population-based survey. https://doi:10.3399/bjgp15X686965
- Designing the TARGET patient leaflet: a resource for patient consultations to improve appropriate antibiotic prescribing in Primary Care. Nursing in Practice 2015. https://doi:10.3390/antibiotics6030016
2014
- Management of suspected infectious diarrhoea by English GPs: are they right? https://doi:10.3399/bjgp14X676429
- Patients' perspectives on providing a stool sample to their GP: a qualitative study. https://doi:10.3399/bjgp14X682261
2012
- Stool submission by general practitioners in SW England - when, why and how? A qualitative study. https://doi:10.1186/1471-2296-13-77
- Education of healthcare professionals and the public. https://doi:10.1093/jac/dks199
- Have the public's expectations for antibiotics for acute uncomplicated respiratory tract infections changed since the H1N1 influenza pandemic? A qualitative interview and quantitative questionnaire study. https://doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2011-000674
- Antimicrobial stewardship in primary care—What are pharmacists doing? Pharmaceutical Journal 2012, 289, 535. https://doi:10.3390/antibiotics6030016
TARGET development and collaborationsThe TARGET resources were first developed by the Antimicrobial Stewardship in Primary Care (ASPIC) collaboration which was established in 2009 and includes: UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA); Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP); Department of Health (DH); British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (BSAC); Care Quality Commission (CQC); British Infection Association (BIA); Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS); National Prescribing Centre (NPC); Infection Prevention Society (IPS); British Paediatric Allergy, Immunology and Infectious Diseases Group (BPAIIG); Royal College of Nursing (RCN); Health Protection Scotland (HPS); Public Health Wales; Public Health Agency Northern Ireland; NHS Information Centre; and interested Health Care Professionals.
The ASPIC collaboration, working closely with primary care, has assessed current guidelines and other materials and, within a series of workshops, agreed the content of the TARGET Antibiotics Toolkit to promote antimicrobial stewardship.
Over time the TARGET group, led by UKHSA, have collaborated with many expert organisations and institutes to develop the evidence based TARGET antibiotics toolkit, these include but are not limited to:
- NIHR Health Protection Research Unit (HPRU) in Healthcare Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance at Imperial College London
- NIHR HPRU in Healthcare Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance at the University of Oxford
- Cardiff University
- Women’s Health Equality Forum
- Scottish UTI Network (SUTIN)
- The RISE project