Towards a Better and Harmonized Education in Antimicrobial Stewardship in European Veterinary Curricula

Abstract

Education in antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) in veterinary medicine is essential to foster responsible antimicrobial use and control of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in animals. AMS is listed by the EU and international organizations among the basic ‘Day One Competences’ required of veterinary students upon graduation. Our aim was to evaluate the quality of education of European veterinary students in AMS. We distributed a 27-item survey addressing the perceptions of preparedness and acquired skills on key topics related to AMS to final-year veterinary students in Europe. We collected 3423 complete answers from 89 veterinary schools in 30 countries. Selection of treatment strategies and awareness of emerging AMR problems were markedly different between countries. Overall, only one in four students was familiar with guidelines for antimicrobial use. The students perceived a medium-high impact of veterinary antimicrobial use on AMR in humans. Notably, 75% of the students felt the need for improved teaching on AMS, half of which also demanded more teaching on general antimicrobial therapy. Our results highlight several possible strategies to improve the quality of education, ranging from a better link between clinical rotations and the theory taught in pre-clinical modules, to a more effective introduction into best practices for antimicrobial use.

Farm Animal Veterinarians’ Knowledge and Attitudes toward Antimicrobial Resistance and Antimicrobial Use in the Republic of Serbia

“…Research in Australia showed that some of the key barriers for this can be AMS governance structures, client expectations, competition between practices, cost of microbiological testing, and lack of access to education, training, and AMS resources [ 44 ]. Recent data imply that European veterinary students, including students from Serbia, are aware of this issue and feel the need for better and improved education on AMS and AMR [ 45 ].…”

Assessing Knowledge, Beliefs, and Behaviors around Antibiotic Usage and Antibiotic Resistance among UK Veterinary Students: A Multi-Site, Cross-Sectional Survey

“…There is some evidence that, as would be expected, medical and veterinary curricula do have the desired effect of improving knowledge about responsible use of antimicrobials [ 58 , 60 , 61 ]. Nonetheless, the consistent picture across surveys of vet and medical students and newly qualified vets and doctors is that there remain gaps in knowledge and confidence around AMR and stewardship [ 46 , 48 , 49 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 64 ]. This body of evidence suggests further work is required to strengthen the AMR and antimicrobial stewardship elements of vet and medical training.…”

“…For both medical and vet students, the nature and content of stewardship training varies across undergraduate and postgraduate training [ 43 , 44 , 45 ]. Vet and medical students from Europe and Australia rep ort different levels of preparedness for performing responsible antimicrobial prescribing once they qualify [ 46 , 47 , 48 ]. Medical students would like more feedback on the appropriateness of their prescribing choices during training [ 49 ], and more education on drug selection and combination therapy [ 50 ].…”

“…Medical students would like more feedback on the appropriateness of their prescribing choices during training [ 49 ], and more education on drug selection and combination therapy [ 50 ]. Indeed, medical and vet students, as well as newly qualified vets and doctors, consistently report wanting more training on antimicrobial stewardship and responsible prescribing [ 46 , 48 , 49 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 ].…”

Implications of Veterinary Medicine in the comprehension and stewardship of antimicrobial resistance phenomenon. From the origin till nowadays.

“…The necessity to expand the research is clear considering that interhost AMR transmission between anthropogenic source and animal population is the predominant driver of AMR in many situations ( Collignon and Beggs, 2019 ). This led to open a discussion to implement public health measures, to have better access to clean water, better housing, less crowding, safer foods, less transmission in hospitals by adopting better infection control and prevention practices, more detailed regulations, communications with citizens that can be involved as patients or as consumers ( Collignon and Beggs, 2019 ) and a better training of professionals, especially for veterinary students ( Espinosa-Gongora et al., 2021 ). All the aforementioned factors are summarized in five key points by WHO action plan ( Fig.…”