Confidence, Perception, and Attitude towards Prescribing Antibiotics among Medical Students and Interns in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia | ||||
| The Egyptian Journal of Hospital Medicine | ||||
| Article 5, Volume 71, Issue 6, April 2018, Page 3299-3303 PDF (416.43 K) | ||||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||||
 View on SCiNiTO | ||||
| Author | ||||
| Fahdah Al-Musallam, Abrar Al-Aidaros, Fatmah Awn, Wa’ed Al-Tawabini, Thikra Al-Zhrani, Bashayer Bamashmos | ||||
| Department of Medicine, Batterjee Medical College, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia | ||||
| Abstract | ||||
| Background: According to the World Health Organization, antibiotics are the most frequently prescribed drugs worldwide. The development of antibiotics has successfully overcome the threat of infectious diseases, but they are often misused, leading to the spread of resistant bacteria strains. This study aimed to assess the perception and attitude toward antibiotic prescription among medical students and interns in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in both governmental and private medical colleges. Methods: This was a cross-sectional multi-site study involving 249 participants, comprised of sixth year medical students and interns sampled using a convenience sampling technique. Data were obtained using a validated questionnaire used in a previous study to assess the perception and attitude toward antibiotic pre- scribing and antimicrobial resistance. Results: Out of 249 respondents, 92.4% said they would like more education on antibiotic selection, 81.5% believed that prescribing inappropriate or unnecessary antibiotics was professionally unethical, 66.3% felt confident in their ability to make an accurate infection diagnosis, and 54.4% were not confident about correct dosages and administration intervals. In all, 79.1% of the participants thought that antibiotic resistance is a nationwide problem, and 46.8% believed the problem does exist in their hospital. Conclusion: Medical students in Saudi Arabia seem to have problems with their confidence, perception, and attitude toward using antibiotics. More rigorous training on antibiotic prescription is needed for sixth year students and interns in Saudi Arabia, and a standardized curriculum should be considered for private and governmental medical colleges. | ||||
| Keywords | ||||
| antibiotics; antibiotic resistant; bacteria strains; Infectious diseases | ||||
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