Veterinary Practitioners’ Standpoints and Comprehension towards Antimicrobial Use—Are There Opportunities for Antimicrobial Stewardship Improvement?

Abstract

The main subject of the research is the assessment of the knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of veterinarians regarding the use of antibiotics (AMU) and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) through a questionnaire conducted among veterinarians in the northern region of Serbia. A total of 62 respondents completed the questionnaire, which represents a response rate of 44.3%. Male veterinarians are less likely to be in the group of veterinarians with insufficient knowledge (p ˂ 0.05). Veterinarians engaged in mixed practice (small and large animals) (p ˂ 0.001) and veterinarians who have over 100 patients per month (p ˂ 0.005) are also less likely to be in the group with insufficient knowledge of antimicrobial resistance. The proportion of those with insufficient knowledge is growing among veterinarians whose source is the Internet (p ˂ 0.01), while the proportion of those with insufficient knowledge about antimicrobial resistance is declining among veterinarians whose source of information is continuous education (p ˂ 0.05). The majority of the respondents (n = 59, 95.2%) completely agreed that AMR is a very big issue in the global health sector right now. Unfortunately, there are crucial gaps in the knowledge and attitudes of the surveyed participants. They do not appear to be aware of the importance of AMU in veterinary medicine and its influence on overall AMR, or the crucial part that non-prescribed antibiotics have in all of it. Positively, many veterinarians use good practice AMU guidelines in their everyday practice and in line with the global trend of AMU reduction, respondents have also decreased their AMU compared to the previous year.

Alternative and Classical Processes for Disinfection of Water Polluted by Fungi: A Systematic Review

“…Thus, there is a need to formulate management strategies to prevent or contain resistance [109,110]. These control strategies should include the prudent use of antimicrobials, surveillance of their use in food-producing animals, surveillance for emerging resistance in both the human health and veterinary sectors [111,112], and appropriate education and training of farmers and prescribers. Also, the application of proper and effective physical-chemical disinfection treatments to fungi in water is relevant to facing the antifungal resistance problem (see Table S1).…”

Colistin Use in European Livestock: Veterinary Field Data on Trends and Perspectives for Further Reduction

“…This alongside with the results of our survey indicate that the main timeframe of acquiring knowledge and competences on AMU concerning AMR as well as AMS is in the early years of the career. Several possible strategies to improve the quality of veterinary education range from a better link between clinical rotations and the theory taught in pre-clinical modules to a more effective introduction to best practices for AMU as well as continuous education [32,34].…”

Knowledge and Attitudes of Small Animal Veterinarians on Antimicrobial Use Practices Impacting the Selection of Antimicrobial Resistance in Dogs and Cats in Illinois, United States: A Spatial Epidemiological Approach

“…Small animals could be considered reservoirs of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria posing a zoonotic transmission risk as they live near humans and are frequently treated with antimicrobials [ 9 , 10 ]. One of the challenges in limiting the spread of AMR is the awareness and knowledge of small animal veterinarians related to factors that influence the selection of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria [ 11 , 12 ]. In the small animal hospital setting, besides the inappropriate use of antimicrobials, other factors were identified to be associated with the emergence of AMR, including inadequate infection control and prevention practices (i.e., deficient disinfection and sterilization of instruments) [ 13 ].…”