The third station showed examples of conditions that antibiotics do not cure, such as flu and sore throat. The fourth station depicted antibiotic suspension to help the audience constitute the antibiotics correctly. The fifth was an interactive station where audience members were given sentences to put them either in the Myth or Fact section. The sixth and last station involved some visualised take-home messages about the correct use of antibiotics, completing the dose even if the person felt well and safe disposal. Also displayed were some information about ways of reducing the risk of infections.
Dr. Alla El-Awaisi, assistant dean for Student Affairs at the College of Pharmacy – Qatar University said: “I was very happy to see our students returning to conducting outreach events face to face taking Covid-19 precautionary measures into consideration. This event gave the students the opportunity to engage, educate and raise awareness to Qatar University community with key issues related to antimicrobial including appropriate use of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance. This was a good learning experience for our pharmacy students with variety of skills gained. These extra curricula activities are essential in preparing our students to provide optimal pharmaceutical care”.
Dana Mustafa, QPhUS vice president also said: “This event was one of a kind. We were in our final week of studying with all the stress of submissions, and preparing and hosting this event was so enjoyable and fun! We were happy and honoured to have faculty members and students from different colleges to know more about antibiotic resistance through our six stations”.
Ghaith Alali, a QPhUS member and one of the event organisers said: “The antibiotic resistance campaign saw a big turnout from students and faculty members who were impressed by the effort that the QPhUS team and volunteers put into organising the event in less than 24 hours. Furthermore, the information that the crowd gained about what antibiotics are and how they are used for, was a crucial point that the event focused on”.
The campaign attracted the students, faculty members, academic administrators and everyone passed by the booths commented positively on the information provided and the way it got delivered by professional year four students.