Knowledge and perception of doctors regarding antibiotic stewardship in a tertiary care hospital of Southern Punjab.

Abstract

Background: Pakistan has been working on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) for a decade; unfortunately, there is a lack of concept of antibiotic stewardship in most health setups, especially in the public sector. This study aims to analyze the knowledge and perception of junior physicians towards antibiotic stewardship programs. The need for this knowledge and impact of antimicrobial resistance on antibiotic stewardship ascertain barriers to stewardship acceptance.
 Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted at different clinical departments of Sheikh Zayed Hospital, Rahim Yar Khan, including 50 junior physicians recruited via convenience sampling technique. The data was collected using a structured questionnaire comprising physician's hospital associated data and questions regarding the knowledge, perspectives, and practices concerning antibiotic stewardship programs (ASP) to reduce AMR. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 22.0, and data were presented using frequencies and percentages.
 Results: Most of the enrolled physicians knew AMR and agreed that it is a serious global health issue. However, all the medical officers were completely unaware of the antibiotic stewardship program, while 42.9% of house officers and only 25.7% of PGs knew about the program.
 Conclusion: Our study shows support from doctors for expanded stewardship implementation and provides an important understanding of the current attitudes of doctors regarding stewardship execution. A better understanding of perceptions and attitudes is dire for healthcare stakeholders to expand stewardship activities into healthcare settings.

Highlighting the Impact of Antimicrobial Drug Resistance (AMR) in Infectious Diseases and Advocating for Improved Surveillance and Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs in Pakistan

“…It is essential to focus on infection prevention, control procedures, and antimicrobial stewardship programs and surveillance systems in order to effectively tackle this issue. 5 We can narrow down the dangers caused by antimicrobial resistant microorganisms and guarantee the efficacy of antimicrobials by following preventive measures. We appeal to health care administrators, lawmakers and medical experts, and people of public to join forces in supporting a comprehensive strategy to overcome the antimicrobial resistance in infectious diseases.…”