MMSL 2020, 89(4):207-214 | DOI: 10.31482/mmsl.2020.019

MEDICAL AND DENTAL STUDENTS' KNOWLEDGE AND PERCEPTIONS ABOUT ANTIMICROBIAL STEWARDSHIP: A CALL FOR EDUCATIONAL ENHANCEMENTOriginal article

Nada Alsaleh ORCID...1,2*, Abeer Alsmari ORCID...3, Fadiyah Alanazi ORCID...4, Abdulmohsen Alsaleh ORCID...5, Rahaf Alsmari ORCID...6, Nasser Al-Swedan ORCID...7
1 1Department of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
2 2Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, 161 Cathedral Street, Glasgow, G4 0RE
3 3Clinical Pharmacy Department, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
4 4College of Medicine, Northern Border University, Arar, Saudi Arabia
5 5College of Dentistry, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
6 6College of Dentistry, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
7 7College of Medicine, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al Kharj 11942, Saudi Arabia

Purpose: To explore the knowledge of antibiotics use and resistance among medical and dental students.

Methods: A 26-item online questionnaire on antimicrobial prescribing was distributed to Medical and Dental students at eight universities from the period of July to August 2020.

Results: Five hundred three students completed the questionnaire; The mean age was 22.15 ± 1.99 and 66.4% were female students. The majority (91.5%) of the students were from governmental universities and (73.4%) were from medical colleges. It was found that 87% of students were not familiar with and unaware of the term antimicrobial stewardship. Overall knowledge about antibiotics identified that 30 (6%) students had good knowledge while 402 (80%) students have fair knowledge. Around 91% of the students agreed that the inappropriate use of antibiotics causes antibiotic resistance and that a strong understanding and knowledge of antibiotics is essential in their careers.

Conclusions: To control the growing problem of antibiotic resistance, future prescribers’ education related to the appropriate use of antibiotics is important. Efforts must be undertaken to educate medical and dental students about the practices of the appropriate use of antibiotics and principles of antimicrobial stewardship.

Keywords: Antimicrobial Stewardship; Medical and Dental Students; Antibiotic Use and Resistance; Saudi Arabia

Received: August 29, 2020; Revised: October 1, 2020; Accepted: October 2, 2020; Prepublished online: October 7, 2020; Published: December 4, 2020  Show citation

ACS AIP APA ASA Harvard Chicago Chicago Notes IEEE ISO690 MLA NLM Turabian Vancouver
Alsaleh, N., Alsmari, A., Alanazi, F., Alsaleh, A., Alsmari, R., & Al-Swedan, N. (2020). MEDICAL AND DENTAL STUDENTS' KNOWLEDGE AND PERCEPTIONS ABOUT ANTIMICROBIAL STEWARDSHIP: A CALL FOR EDUCATIONAL ENHANCEMENT. MMSL, 89(4), 207-214. doi: 10.31482/mmsl.2020.019
Share...
Download citation
  • BibTeX (.bib)
  • Bookends (.ris)
  • EasyBib (.ris)
  • EndNote (.enw)
  • EndNote 8 (.xml)
  • ISI WoS (.isi)
  • Medlars (.medlars)
  • Mendeley (.ris)
  • MODS (.xml)
  • Papers (.ris)
  • RefWorks (.txt)
  • RefManager (.ris)
  • RIS (.ris)
  • MS Word (.xml)
  • Zotero (.ris)
    • Open full article

    References

    1. Sunusi LSa, Awad MM, Hassan NM, Isa CA. Assessment of knowledge and attitude toward antibiotic use and resistance among students of International University of Africa, medical complex, Sudan. Glob Drugs Therapeutics. 2019;4:1-6. Go to original source...
    2. Hoffmann K, Wagner G, Apfalter P, Maier M. Antibiotic resistance in primary care in Austria - a systematic review of scientific and grey literature. BMC Infect Dis. 2011;11:330. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    3. Costelloe C, Metcalfe C, Lovering A, Mant D, Hay AD. Effect of antibiotic prescribing in primary care on antimicrobial resistance in individual patients: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ. 2010;340:c2096. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    4. Beardsley JR, Williamson JC, Johnson JW, Luther VP, Wrenn RH, Ohl CC. Show me the money: long-term financial impact of an antimicrobial stewardship program. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2012;33(4):398-400. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    5. Abbo LM, Cosgrove SE, Pottinger PS, Pereyra M, Sinkowitz-Cochran R, Srinivasan A, et al. Medical students' perceptions and knowledge about antimicrobial stewardship: how are we educating our future prescribers? Clin Infect Dis. 2013;57(5):631-8. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    6. Dyar OJ, Pulcini C, Howard P, Nathwani D, Policies) EESGfA. European medical students: a first multicentre study of knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of antibiotic prescribing and antibiotic resistance. J Antimicrob Chemother. 2014;69(3):842-6. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    7. Struzycka I, Mazinska B, Bachanek T, Boltacz-Rzepkowska E, Drozdzik A, Kaczmarek U, et al. Knowledge of antibiotics and antimicrobial resistance amongst final year dental students of Polish medical schools-A cross-sectional study. Eur J Dent Educ. 2019;23(3):295-303. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    8. Nisabwe L, Brice H, Umuhire MC, Gwira O, Harelimana JD, Nzeyimana Z, et al. Knowledge and attitudes towards antibiotic use and resistance among undergraduate healthcare students at University of Rwanda. J Pharm Policy Pract. 2020;13:7. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    9. Mattick K, Kelly N, Rees C. A window into the lives of junior doctors: narrative interviews exploring antimicrobial prescribing experiences. J Antimicrob Chemother. 2014;69(8):2274-83. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    10. Pulcini C, Williams F, Molinari N, Davey P, Nathwani D. Junior doctors' knowledge and perceptions of antibiotic resistance and prescribing: a survey in France and Scotland. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2011;17(1):80-7. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    11. McLellan L, Tully MP, Dornan T. How could undergraduate education prepare new graduates to be safer prescribers? Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2012;74(4):605-13. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    12. Laks M, Guerra CM, Miraglia JL, Medeiros EA. Distance learning in antimicrobial stewardship: innovation in medical education. BMC Med Educ. 2019;19(1):191. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    13. Pulcini C, Gyssens IC. How to educate prescribers in antimicrobial stewardship practices. Virulence. 2013;4(2):192-202. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    14. World Health Organisation (2018) WHO competency framework for health workers' education and training on antimicrobial resistance. http://apps.who.int/medicinedocs/documents/s23443en/s23443en.pdf. Accessed 22 August 2020
    15. Dyar OJ, Beoviæ B, Pulcini C, Tacconelli E, Hulscher M, Cookson B et al (2019) ESCMID generic competencies in antimicrobial prescribing and stewardship: towards a European consensus. Clin Microbiol Infect 2018 25:13-19 Go to original source... Go to PubMed...

    Return to the content