KAP on antibiotic usage and resistance among second professional medical students

Abstract

Background: Antibiotics are wonder drugs as they prevent and treat bacterial infections. However, their irrational use even by wrong prescribing behaviour of physician leads to antibiotic resistance medical students are future doctors and are provided knowledge and practice of antibiotics in treatment, and prevention of diseases in their study curriculum of second professional course mainly in chapters of pharmacology and microbiology. Therefore, the present study was to determine the second-year medical students’ knowledge, attitude and perception regarding antimicrobial use and resistance.Methods: Study was conducted on second professional undergraduate medical students from Government Medical College, Jammu. 140 students participated, and informed consent was taken prior to study. A validated questionnaire comprised of 20 questions was provided to them and responses were recorded. Questionnaire was comprised of 20 questions (13 questions attributed to knowledge of antibiotics usage and resistance, six to attitude and one question regarding perception).Results: The students showed fair knowledge about antibiotics and resistance. Percentages of fully correct answers was between 63-100% regarding knowledge of antibiotics. The attitude results revealed that self-medication by the student was observed in 67%, while 70% agreed that they had left over antibiotics at home, but only 42% committed that they take these left over antibiotics. As far as practice was concerned the maximum students consult text books as source of knowledge regarding resistance followed by Wikipedia.Conclusions: The current study observed high score of knowledge than attitude in medical students regarding antibiotic usage and resistance and increasing influence of internet like Wikipedia. This underscores the need for more effort in updating the students regarding antibiotic usage and resistance and laying more emphasis in the core curriculum of their academics.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice on Antibiotic Use among Medical Students

“…The results on practice of antibiotics were mixed as 69.4% said they discarded the leftover medicine while on the other hand 38.8% said they save the leftover antibiotics. Number of authors have reported adequate knowledge on antibiotics use however the attitude and practice regarding antibiotic use was inadequate which is in concurrence to the results of this study [16,23]. The knowledge, attitude and practice level of first year students was lower compared to second and third year students.…”

Antibiotic use and resistance: an unprecedented assessment of university students’ knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) in Lebanon

“…In the same year, Al-Salih and colleagues, after conducting a study about knowledge and attitude regarding antibiotic use among nursing and dentistry students in Babylon University (Iraq), have concluded that despite their knowledge about the appropriate antibiotic use, students lacked in the appropriate attitude [11]. The same conclusion has been reached regarding professional Indian medical students by Khajuria and colleagues in 2018 [12]. A crosssectional questionnaire based study conducted among 2500 Chinese students regarding their KAP of antibiotics concluded that the medical curriculum improves the students' knowledge on antibiotics.…”

“…On the other hand, Jairoun and his colleagues have reported in 2019 that the large majority of university students were aware that antibiotics can kill bacteria and can be used to cure bacterial infections [8]. Moreover, Khajuria et al 2019 showed that 90% of medical students agreed that antibiotics are useful for bacterial infections [12]. Gary and colleagues, have reported in 2012, while comparing the KAP related to antibiotic use and resistance among medical and non-medical university students in Jordan, that 44% percent of non-medical students and 28.1% of medical students agreed that antibiotics could cure cold and viral infections [23].…”

Assessment of knowledge, attitude and practices on antibiotic resistance among undergraduate medical students in the school of medicine at the University of Zambia

“…22 Abuse of antibiotics has been reported by many other researchers as one of the main factors leading to antibiotic resistance. 4,24,28,34 Regarding the necessity to get more education about antibiotics and antibiotic resistance, 95.8% of the participants in our study agreed that it was necessary. Further, 76.9% of the participants in our study agreed that education on the rational use of antibiotics is very cardinal.…”

“…27 Khajuria et al in India similarly reported that 90% of the medical students knew the indication of antibiotics. 28 The reason for this could be because participants might have come across this topic in medical microbiology, pharmacology, and practicals for clinical students.…”