European Antibiotic Awareness Day Research Articles

HSD37 Information Seeking Behaviour of the Hungarian Population Regarding Antibiotics and Common Infectious Ailments: An Infodemiological and Thematic Analysis Using Google TRENDSTM

The emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a serious threat to healthcare institutions worldwide, which is facilitated by the inappropriate use of antibiotics, including their misuse and non-prescription procurement. To educate the general public regarding the dangers of AMR, many international campaigns – including the European Antibiotic Awareness Day and World Antibiotic Awareness Week– were initiated. The aim of this infodemiological study was to assess antibiotic-related Internet queries from Hungary, and to identify possible associations between information seeking behaviour and various epidemiological indicators.

Polish Medical Doctors' Opinions on Available Resources and Information Campaigns concerning Antibiotics and Antibiotic Resistance, a Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Antibiotic resistance (ABR) is at the top of global health threats. This paper aims to assess Polish physicians’ readiness to impact ABR through prescribing routines. Methods: Surveying Polish physicians participating in specialization courses at the Center for Postgraduate Medical Education in Warsaw, Poland from October 2019 to March 2020. Results: Information was obtained from 504 physicians aged 25–59, mean 32.8 ± 5.9 years, mainly women (65%). Most doctors (78%) prescribed antibiotics at least once a week. Physicians indicated clinical practice guidelines as resources most often consulted in the management of infections (90%). However, clinical experience was also declared a powerful resource. In total, 54% of respondents recalled receiving information about the prudent use of antibiotics within 12 months, which partially translated into changing views (56%) and practice (42%). Physicians disagreed that national campaigns provide good promotion of prudent antibiotics use (75%) or that they are effective (61%). Only 40% of doctors were aware of the national campaign promoting responsible antibiotics use, 24% had heard about the European Antibiotic Awareness Day and 20% knew about the World Antimicrobial Awareness Week. Conclusions: Prescribers most often rely on clinical practice guidelines and their own experience as resources for antibiotics use. Doctors’ awareness of available resources and information campaigns concerning antibiotics and antibiotic resistance should be improved.

Spread awareness, stop resistance – getting ready for WAAW and EAAD

Like every year, the World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW) – taking place from 18th to 24th of November 2021 – will be used to strengthen awareness about antimicrobial resistance (AMR)....

Knowledge-Based Attitudes of Medical Students in Antibiotic Therapy and Antibiotic Resistance. A Cross-Sectional Study.

We aimed to evaluate the knowledge-based attitudes of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance among medical students of Medical University of Warsaw using the questionnaire prepared by the study’s authors. In May–June 2018, we carried out a cross-sectional study among the students of all years, embracing 291 respondents. The students were divided into two groups: A (students in their first to third years) and B (students in their fourth to sixth years). Our study has shown that students are aware of the dangers of antibiotic resistance, seeing the leading cause as antibiotic misuse. We have shown that they are also aware of their insufficient knowledge and believe that more antibiotic therapy classes should be included in the curriculum of Medical University of Warsaw. Our questionnaire also focused on attitudes towards antibiotics based on knowledge. One in four respondents (23.7%), based on their knowledge, negated antibiotic therapy ordered by a doctor in the event of their illness, and four in ten (40.9%) in the occurrence of disease of a family member or friend. The vast majority of students (92.4%) would like to broaden their knowledge on antibiotic therapy. However, only one-fifth of students have heard about the European Antibiotic Awareness Day campaign. We recommend increasing the number of hours on antibiotic therapy and resistance education combined with topics on hand hygiene.

World Antibiotic Awareness Week and European Antibiotic Awareness Day, November 2018: An analysis of the impact of Twitter activity

IntroductionInternational antibiotic awareness and stewardship campaigns use social media to disseminate campaign materials. Analysis of campaigns during 2016 and 2017 identified a wide range of hashtags in use, potentially leading to confusion and dilution of the campaign message. This study aimed to examine the impact of different hashtags on the dissemination of information during European Antibiotic Awareness Day and World Antibiotic Awareness Week, November 2018. MethodsTweets were prospectively extracted using Followthehashtag and analysed in Excel and R (14 400 tweets by 5 899 tweeters, with 60 222 retweets). Descriptive analysis and multivariable logistic regression analyses were adjusted for potential confounders. ResultsThere was a positive association between retweets received and inclusion of media, hashtag(s), mention of other tweeter(s), and number of followers. There was hashtag drift (e.g. the unofficial #WAAW2018 hashtag was used more frequently than the official campaign #WAAW18 hashtag). Analysis of five popular hashtags from the European and worldwide campaigns found a positive association between retweets and the unofficial hashtag #WAAW2018 and the long-established #AntibioticGuardian hashtag. #AntibioticResistance (another official hashtag) was the most frequently used hashtag but did not have a consistent positive association with retweets. Analysis of the contribution of tweeters – tweeters, retweeters, and mentions of tweeters – demonstrated 32 534 accounts in total, 95% of which tweeted and/or retweeted, the great majority being retweeters. ConclusionThis study demonstrates the breadth of participation in international antibiotic awareness campaigns, but also the need for clarity about campaign hashtags, and the need to search beyond official hashtags when evaluating the impact of a campaign.

Views and experiences of community pharmacy team members on antimicrobial stewardship activities in Scotland: a qualitative study

Background It has been acknowledged and recognised internationally that the community pharmacy team has a major role to play in antimicrobial stewardship programmes, particularly regarding patient engagement. However, there is a paucity of published research on community pharmacy-based activities in antimicrobial stewardship, and views and perceptions of the community pharmacy team on their role in antimicrobial stewardship. Objective To explore views and experiences of community pharmacy teams across Scotland on antimicrobial stewardship, activities related to European Antibiotic Awareness Day, and a self-help guide to treating infection. Setting Community pharmacy, Scotland. Methods Qualitative, semi-structured in-depth telephone interviews were undertaken with a purposive sample of community pharmacy team members over a six week period between November and December in 2016. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and data analysed thematically using the framework approach. Main outcome measure Views and perceptions of antimicrobial stewardship and European Antibiotic Awareness Day activities and role of the pharmacy team. Results Twenty-seven participants were interviewed—20 pharmacists, five pharmacy graduates completing their pre-registration year, and members of the pharmacy support team including two pharmacy technicians and one medicines counter assistant. They were working mainly in urban areas and across five regions of Scotland. Most were aware of antimicrobial stewardship but some were not familiar with the term. Participants identified roles for the community pharmacy team in antimicrobial stewardship including the importance of the pharmacy as a first port of call for self-care advice. Some participants, including pharmacists, showed lack of awareness of European Antibiotic Awareness Day; those who were aware thought it may not have the desired impact on educating the public. Most participants, irrespective of role within the team, were not familiar with the self-help guide but they perceived this as a useful resource for the pharmacy team. Conclusion The participants recognised and identified roles for the community pharmacist within antimicrobial stewardship. However, the lack of awareness of European Antibiotic Awareness Day shows a need for European Antibiotic Awareness Day tools and other materials to be more effectively disseminated and for more training to be provided.

Antimicrobial Resistance: Causes And Consequences

Abstract Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is considered as one of the most important threats for public health with global dimensions. The aim of this paper is to analyze the causes and consequences of antimicrobial resistance and the actions which should be taken in order to reduce this threat. Overuse and misuse of antibiotics are believed to be responsible for the emergence of resistant pathogens. These occur not only in human medicine but also in veterinary medicine, animal husbandry and plant production. Another factor which contributes to the global spread of resistant pathogens is low sanitation, mainly encountered in low and middle income countries. However, low quality infection control programs and the lack of antibiotic stewardship programs also contribute to the dissemination of resistant strains. Other factors which were shown to have impact are population movement, medical tourism, intensive trade exchange and climate change. The consequences of increased resistance such as medical, microbiological, epidemiological, psychological and economic are also discussed. Finally, several documents of WHO and European Union underlying “One health” approach in the combat of resistance as well as international projects addressing problem of AMR are described. The importance of broad education campaigns targeting medical professionals, health care decision makers and general public in combat of AMR such as European Antibiotic Awareness Day (EU) and International Antibiotics Awareness Week (WHO) are also discussed. 1. Introduction 2. The epidemiological situation of resistance in Poland in comparison with EU countries 3. Causes of the rise and dissemination of antibiotic resistance. 4. Consequences of increasing AMR. 5. What actions have been taken in the fight against antibiotic resistance and what are their results. 6. Summary

What will the new European Commission deliver in the field of health?

The Commission of Ursula von der Leyen was supposed to start its work on 1 November 2019. However, due to the rejection of three candidate-Commissioners by Members of the European...

Demographic, Knowledge and Impact Analysis of 57,627 Antibiotic Guardians Who Have Pledged to Contribute to Tackling Antimicrobial Resistance.

In 2014, Public Health England (PHE) developed the behavioural change Antibiotic Guardian (AG) campaign to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This included an online pledge system aimed at healthcare professionals (HCP) and the public. Demographics of AGs were collected when pledging online and analysed by pledge group, type, geography, and source of hearing of the campaign between 24/07/2014–31/12/2017. Website visitors and acquisition routes were described using Google analytics data. From November 2016, five questions assessed AMR knowledge which was compared to published Eurobarometer AMR survey results for UK. Behaviour change of AGs was also assessed through an impact questionnaire, evaluating the effect of the campaign on self-reported behaviour around AMR. Overall there were 231,460 unique website visitors from 202 countries resulting in 57,627 English and 652 foreign language pledges. Website visitors increased each year with peaks during European Antibiotic Awareness Day and (EAAD) World Antibiotic Awareness Week (WAAW). Self-direction was the largest acquisition route (55%) with pledges more likely via this route than social media (OR 2.6, 95% CI 2.5–2.6). AGs (including the public) were more likely to answer questions correctly than the Eurobarometer UK group (OR 8.5, 95% CI 7.4–9.9). AG campaign engagement has increased over the four years with particular increases in the student group. AGs had greater knowledge compared to the Eurobarometer UK population. The latest impact evaluation of the online pledge scheme highlights that it continues to be an effective and inexpensive way to engage people with the problem of AMR especially among those with prior awareness of the topic.

European Antibiotic Awareness Day - ten years of experience in Poland

European Antibiotic Awareness Day - ten years of experience in Poland

European Antibiotic Awareness Day (EAAD): any impact on antibiotic consumption and public awareness in Slovenia?

To evaluate the impact of European Antibiotic Awareness Day (EAAD) on antibiotic consumption, improvements in general public awareness and antibiotic resistance in Slovenia. Outpatient data for the period from 2002 to 2016 and hospital antibiotic consumption data for 2004-16 were collected using the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification/DDDs. Outpatient antibiotic consumption data were expressed in DDDs/1000 inhabitants/day (DIDs), number of packages/1000 inhabitant-days and number of prescriptions/1000 inhabitants/year. Hospital consumption data were expressed in DIDs, number of DDDs/100 bed-days and number of DDDs/100 admissions. Segmented regression analysis of interrupted time series was used to estimate the effects of these interventions on antibiotic consumption. During the 8 year period since establishing EAAD, a 9%-17% decrease in outpatient antibiotic consumption has been observed, depending on the measurement unit, which was a little more than in the 6 years prior to EAAD (7%-12%). The trend change in hospital consumption after EAAD was established remained small, with a highly non-significant P value. Eurobarometer data did not show an increase in knowledge on antibiotic use. Resistance of Streptococcus pneumoniae to penicillin and macrolides decreased during EAAD activities. EAAD activities were associated with a decreasing trend in community consumption. Owing to many other national activities on the prudent use of antimicrobials in outpatients and inpatients it is difficult to analyse the direct effect of EAAD.

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.

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.

European Antibiotic Awareness Day 2017: training the next generation of health care professionals in antibiotic stewardship

Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) aims to optimise treatment, minimise the risk of adverse effects and reduce health care costs. In addition, it is recognised as a key component to stop the current spread of antimicrobial resistance in Europe. Educational programmes are particularly important for the successful implementation of AMS. Training should start during medical school, continue during clinical training and be reinforced throughout postgraduate training. National core curricula for paediatric training should include passive and active training of competencies needed for AMS and future paediatricians should be skilled in taking leadership roles in AMS initiatives. Other core members of the paediatric AMS team should also receive training focused on the unique medical needs of the paediatric patient.Conclusion: Ideally, all communities, hospitals and health regions in Europe should have AMS that serve all patient types, including children. We all have the responsibility to ensure that existing antibiotics remain effective.What is Known:• Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) is a key component to stop the current spread of antimicrobial resistance• Educational programmes are particularly important for the successful implementation of AMSWhat is New:• All medical doctors in Europe who will be undertaking significant practice in child health should master the competencies needed to prescribe antibiotics to children rationally as described in the European Academy of Paediatrics (EAP) Curriculum for Common Trunk Training in Paediatrics• Interdisciplinary approaches of education need to be developed, as all hospitals and health regions in Europe ideally should have AMS programmes that serve all patient types, including children

Surveys of public knowledge and attitudes with regard to antibiotics in Poland: Did the European Antibiotic Awareness Day campaigns change attitudes?

BackgroundAntimicrobial resistance is a global public health problem. Monitoring the level of knowledge regarding antibiotics is a part of the European Union Community strategy against antimicrobial resistance.ObjectiveTo assess knowledge by the general public in Poland regarding antibiotics, AMR, and the impact of the European Antibiotic Awareness Day campaigns.MethodsThe repeated cross-sectional study was developed and carried out among the general public in Poland (in 5 waves between 2009 and 2011, embracing a total of 5004 respondents). The survey was based on a self-designed questionnaire, and carried out by Millward Brown SMG/KRC, using Computer Assisted Telephone Interviews (CATI).ResultsA high percentage of Polish adults had used antibiotics within the 12 months preceding their participation in the study (38%). Statistically relevant differences were observed regarding the respondents’ gender, age, education and employment status. The majority of the antibiotics used were prescribed by physicians (90%). In all five waves, 3% of the respondents purchased an antibiotic without a prescription. Prescriptions were mostly obtained from a general practitioner. The prevailing reasons for taking antibiotics were the common cold, sore throat, cough and flu. Approximately 40% of the respondents expected a prescription for an antibiotic against the flu. The vast majority knew that antibiotics kill bacteria (80%) but at the same time 60% of respondents believed antibiotics kill viruses. Physicians, pharmacists, hospital staff and nurses were mentioned as the most trustworthy sources of information. A third of the respondents declared to have come across information on the prudent use of antibiotics in the preceding 12 months. In the fifth wave, nearly half of the participants (48%), who had come across information about antibiotics in the preceding 12 months declared that the information resulted in a change in their attitude towards antibiotic use.ConclusionThe survey generated information about the knowledge, attitude, and behavior regarding antibiotics among the general population of Poland. Inappropriate antibiotic use is still highly prevalent in Poland, although a positive trend in behavioral change was observed after the educational campaigns. Additional didactic and systematic education campaigns regarding appropriate antibiotic use are needed and the use of the Internet as an education tool should be enhanced.

Announcement: Get Smart About Antibiotics Week — November 14–20, 2016

Get Smart About Antibiotics Week is November 14-20, 2016. This annual observance is intended to engage health care providers, professional societies, advocacy groups, for-profit companies, state and local health departments, the general public, the media, and others in an effort to improve antibiotic stewardship in outpatient, inpatient, nursing home, and animal health settings. During this week, participants will raise awareness of the threat of antibiotic resistance and emphasize the importance of appropriate antibiotic use across all health care settings. Get Smart About Antibiotics Week coincides with the World Health Organization's World Antibiotic Awareness Week and European Antibiotic Awareness Day (November 18). In addition to the United States and European Union, other participating countries and international organizations include Australia, Canada, and the Pan American Health Organization.

Impact of patients' professional and educational status on perception of an antibiotic policy campaign: a pilot study at a university hospital.

Antibiotics are overused in many European countries, particularly Greece, leading to emerging antimicrobial resistance with sustained high mortality among hospitalised patients. Limited data are available regarding factors influencing people's knowledge and the impact of public campaigns on antibiotic misuse. Patients' beliefs regarding antibiotics were investigated in the outpatient clinic of a university hospital in Athens, Greece. A questionnaire-based survey was conducted to examine patients' opinions on antibiotic use in the waiting room of the outpatient clinic. All participants read an illustrated pocket-sized leaflet endorsed by official authorities on the European Antibiotic Awareness Day (EAAD). Volunteers then completed a questionnaire containing information on demographics, knowledge on antibiotic use and overuse, and remarks on the quality of the leaflet's content. In a logistic regression analysis including age, sex, educational level and professional status of 605 eligible participants, women were more aware [odds ratio (OR)=3.2, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.8-5.8; P<0.0001] and people with elementary education were less aware (OR=0.4, 95% CI 0.1-0.9; P=0.04) of antimicrobial misuse. Workers were also more aware than retired or unemployed people (P=0.007). However, only 16.0% of participants knew about the EAAD. All participants agreed on antibiotic misuse in Greece, mentioning patient accountability as the main cause (26.8%), an opinion more pronounced in highly educated individuals. In conclusion, targeted interventions taking into account variations in educational level and employee status should be considered in future scheduled educative campaigns on antibiotic overconsumption in highly prescribing antibiotic countries.

Impact of a United Kingdom-wide campaign to tackle antimicrobial resistance on self-reported knowledge and behaviour change.

BackgroundAs part of the 2014 European Antibiotic Awareness Day plans, a new campaign called Antibiotic Guardian (AG) was launched in the United Kingdom, including an online pledge system to increase commitment from healthcare professionals and members of the public to reduce antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The aim of this evaluation was to determine the impact of the campaign on self-reported knowledge and behaviour around AMR.MethodsAn online survey was sent to 9016 Antibiotic Guardians (AGs) to assess changes in self-reported knowledge and behaviour (outcomes) following the campaign. Logistic regression models, adjusted for variables including age, sex and pledge group (pledging as member of public or as healthcare professional), were used to estimate associations between outcomes and AG characteristics.Results2478 AGs responded to the survey (27.5 % response rate) of whom 1696 (68.4 %) pledged as healthcare professionals and 782 (31.6 %) as members of public (similar proportions to the total number of AGs). 96.3 % of all AGs who responded had prior knowledge of AMR. 73.5 % of participants were female and participants were most commonly between 45 and 54 years old.Two thirds (63.4 %) of participants reported always acting according to their pledge. Members of the public were more likely to act in line with their pledge than professionals (Odds Ratio (OR) =3.60, 95 % Confidence Interval (CI): 2.88-4.51). Approximately half of participants (44.5 %) (both healthcare professionals and members of public) reported that they acquired more knowledge about AMR post-campaign. People that were confused about AMR prior to the campaign acquired more knowledge after the campaign (OR = 3.10, 95 % CI: 1.36-7.09). More participants reported a sense of personal responsibility towards tackling AMR post-campaign, increasing from 58.3 % of participants pre-campaign to 70.5 % post-campaign.ConclusionThis study demonstrated that the campaign increased commitment to tackling AMR in both healthcare professional and member of the public, increased self-reported knowledge and changed self-reported behaviour particularly among people with prior AMR awareness. Online pledge schemes can be an effective and inexpensive way to engage people with the problem of AMR especially among those with prior awareness of the topic.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12889-016-3057-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The Great British Tea Party for European Antibiotic Awareness Day

The Great British Tea Party for European Antibiotic Awareness Day

Awareness of antibiotic prescribing and resistance in primary dental care.

Dentists in primary care account for approximately one in ten of all therapeutic antibiotic prescriptions, but many of these prescriptions may be unnecessary and will contribute to the critically important problem of bacterial resistance. Emerging guidance on antimicrobial stewardship is discussed and the annual European Antibiotic Awareness Day (EAAD), which takes place on 18 November, is highlighted.

European Antibiotic Awareness Day: a five-year perspective of Europe-wide actions to promote prudent use of antibiotics.

Following the European Union (EU) Council Recommendation on prudent use of antimicrobial agents in human medicine in 2001, and the success of national campaigns, i.e. Belgium and France, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) decided to establish the European Antibiotic Awareness Day (EAAD) on 18 November as platform to support national campaigns across Europe. This article provides an overview of EAAD tools, materials, and activities developed during the first five years. It shows that EAAD has been successful due to good cooperation between ECDC and national institutions, strong political and stakeholder support and evidence-based development of campaign materials. EAAD has provided a platform for pre-existing national campaigns and encouraged similar campaigns to develop where neither political support had been secured, nor financial support had been available. As a result, participating countries have continuously expressed strong support for ECDC to continue its work on EAAD. This has been endorsed by a steadily increasing number of countries participating and the growing interest of varied professional and stakeholder organisations. We conclude that EAAD should continue to act as catalyst for discussion and as mechanism to raise awareness of the public and prescribers about prudent use of antibiotics.