Assessing the Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviors of Human and Animal Health Students towards Antibiotic Use and Resistance: A Pilot Cross-Sectional Study in the UK.

Oliver Dyar,Holly Hills,Alex Perry,Diane Ashiru-Oredope,Lara-Turiya Seitz

doi:10.3390/antibiotics7010010

Abstract

The Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance highlights the importance of training all healthcare professionals. No study has assessed patterns of students’ knowledge, attitudes and practices concerning antibiotic use simultaneously across different healthcare course types. We conducted a cross-sectional multi-center survey among UK students. The survey was advertised through local survey coordinators at 25 universities. The online survey was accessible from 10th October to 17th November 2016 (before European Antibiotic Awareness Day). A total of 255 students from 25 universities participated, including students on medicine, pharmacy, nursing, physician associate, dentistry and veterinary medicine courses. Antibiotic resistance was considered to be a more important global challenge than climate change, obesity or food security (p < 0.001). Most students (95%) believed that antibiotic resistance will be a problem for their future practice, but fewer (69%) thought that the antibiotics they will prescribe, administer or dispense will contribute to the problem. A fifth of students felt they had sufficient knowledge of antibiotic use for their future work. Our exploratory study suggests that UK human and animal healthcare students are aware of the importance of antibiotic resistance, but many still have certain misconceptions. Campaigns and improved educational efforts applying behavioral insights methodology could address these.

Highlights

All human and animal health professions have important roles to play in keeping antibiotics effective [1,2]
Vital that healthcare students are aware of the challenges posed by antibiotic resistance, and that there are investments in training them on topics relevant to responsible antibiotic use in their chosen specialties, as highlighted in the World Health Organization’s Global
Antibiotics 2018, 7, 10 knowledge and attitudes on responsible antibiotic use among medical students [4,5] and pharmacy students [6,7], no study so far has attempted to assess these patterns across a broad range of human and animal health courses at the same time using the same survey instrument

Summary

Introduction

All human and animal health professions have important roles to play in keeping antibiotics effective [1,2]. It is, vital that healthcare students are aware of the challenges posed by antibiotic resistance, and that there are investments in training them on topics relevant to responsible antibiotic use in their chosen specialties, as highlighted in the World Health Organization’s Global. Antibiotics 2018, 7, 10 knowledge and attitudes on responsible antibiotic use among medical students [4,5] and pharmacy students [6,7], no study so far has attempted to assess these patterns across a broad range of human and animal health courses at the same time using the same survey instrument. As part of the campaign, but prior to EAAD (18th November), students on selected healthcare courses in the UK were invited to participate in an exploratory online questionnaire on antibiotic use and resistance.

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion