Knowledge about antibiotics and antibiotic resistance among health-related students in a Saudi University

Abstract

Introduction: Antibiotic resistance is a threat to public health and safety globally. The inadequate undergraduate education on antibiotic stewardship may contribute to the clinical malpractice of antibiotics, causing serious consequences toward patient health. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the knowledge of future healthcare workers in Saudi Arabia on antibiotics, antibiotic use, and antibiotic resistance. The factors influencing the students’ knowledge were also determined.
 Methodology: A cross-sectional study using a survey questionnaire was carried out among 284 Clinical Laboratory Science, Nursing, and Pharmacy students in Saudi Arabia from January to April 2019. Multiple regression analyses were performed to identify the factors influencing the students’ knowledge regarding antibiotics, antibiotic use and antibiotic resistance.
 Results: The study found that students have above-average knowledge of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance, whereas their knowledge of antibiotic use was inadequate. Several factors, including gender, program, academic level, awareness about antibiotic resistance, attendance to seminars/training, and belief on the seriousness of antibiotic resistance problem, affect students’ knowledge. The findings suggest that the knowledge of students in these areas should be improved.
 Conclusions: Misconceptions are prominent in certain areas, such as in the concept of antibiotics and their uses. The findings prompt immediate interventions to improve students’ knowledge of antibiotics and resistance. Curricular contents must be reviewed and enhanced to suit the specific learning needs of students in terms of these concepts.

What are the nursing competencies related to antimicrobial stewardship and how they have been assessed? Results from an integrative rapid review

“…Publications were mainly authored in the USA (n = 4, 25.0%; Missouri, Pennsylvania [multiple regions of the States], Utah, Wisconsin) [ 21 – 24 ], Australia and New Zealand (n = 4, 25.0%; Auckland, New South Wales, Victoria [two studies]) [ 25 – 28 ], and Asia (n = 4, 25.0%; Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Thailand) [ 29 – 32 ], followed by Europe (n = 2, 12.5%; Italy, UK [multiple European countries] [ 33 , 34 ] and Africa (n = 2, 12.5%; Malawi, South Africa) [ 35 , 36 ]. With regard to the research method, ten studies (62.5%) were quantitative in design, using surveys in all cases [ 21 – 23 , 25 , 26 , 29 – 31 , 33 , 34 ]. Qualitative research included interviews (n = 3, 18.8%) [ 27 , 28 , 35 ] and focus groups (n = 1, 6.2%) [ 32 ].…”

“…The majority of the research examined in this review emphasized the significant contribution that nurses provide to AMS in hospital and community settings, where a high level of awareness among healthcare professionals has been documented [e.g., 31]. Healthcare students also proved to be acquainted with antibiotics and the related resistance, however their knowledge about the appropriate use was limited [ 29 ]. An international expert panel has recently developed a framework that addresses AMS to guide undergraduate nursing education (e.g., infection prevention and control) [ 38 ].…”

“… Is the statistical analysis appropriate to answer the research question? Akbar et al [ 29 ] Survey Y Y Y N Y Ashiru-Oredope et al [ 33 ] Survey Y Y Y Y Y Barchitta et al [ 34 ] Survey Y Y Y Y Y Bouchoucha et al [ 25 ] Survey Y Y Y U Y Carter et al [ 21 ] Survey Y U Y N Y Hamilton et al [ 22 ] Survey Y U Y N Y Herawati et al [ 30 ] Survey Y U Y N Y Lim et al [ 31 ] Survey Y U Y N Y Monsees et al [ …”

Influence of leftover antibiotics on self-medication in Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study

“…9 In a study conducted in Saudi Arabia measuring the knowledge of health-related students about antibiotics, 50.0% of participants believed antibiotics could be used safely without consulting a physician. 10 The majority of participants in the same study believed that antibiotics can be used instead of anti-inflammatory drugs to treat pain and inflammation. 10 In the previous study, the majority of participants believed that antibiotics could be used to treat viral infections, 10 and a similar study conducted in Qatar found that nearly half of participants believed antibiotics could be used to treat viral illness.…”

“…10 The majority of participants in the same study believed that antibiotics can be used instead of anti-inflammatory drugs to treat pain and inflammation. 10 In the previous study, the majority of participants believed that antibiotics could be used to treat viral infections, 10 and a similar study conducted in Qatar found that nearly half of participants believed antibiotics could be used to treat viral illness. 11 This study also found that 82% of participants used antibiotics without a prescription, 37% used antibiotics prescribed for another family member, and 27% used antibiotics prescribed to them for a similar condition.…”