Antibiotic resistance: A survey of physician perceptions

C. William WESTER; Lakshmi DURAIRAJ; Arthur T EVANS; David N SCHWARTZ; Shahid HUSAIN; Enrique MARTINEZ

doi:10.1001/archinte.162.19.2210

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Antibiotic resistance: A survey of physician perceptions

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Antibiotic resistance: A survey of physician perceptions

C. William WESTER, Lakshmi DURAIRAJ, Arthur T EVANS, David N SCHWARTZ, Shahid HUSAIN and Enrique MARTINEZ

Archives of internal medicine (1960), Vol.162(19), pp.2210-2216

2002

DOI: 10.1001/archinte.162.19.2210

PMID: 12390064

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Abstract

Background: Antibiotic resistance is caused partly by excessive antibiotic prescribing, yet little is known about prescribers' views on this problem. Methods: We surveyed 490 internal medicine physicians at 4 Chicago-area hospitals to assess their attitudes about the importance of antibiotic resistance, knowledge of its prevalence, self-reported experience with antibiotic resistance, beliefs about its causes, and attitudes about interventions designed to address the problem. Results: The response rate was 87% (424 of 490 physicians). Antibiotic resistance was perceived as a very important national problem by 87% of the respondents, but only 55% rated the problem as very important at their own hospitals. Nearly all physicians (97%) believed that widespread and inappropriate antibiotic use were important causes of resistance. Yet, only 60% favored restricting use of broad-spectrum antibiotics, although this percentage varied by hospital and physician group. Conclusions: Although most physicians view antibiotic resistance as a serious national problem, perceptions about its local importance, its causes, and possible solutions vary more widely. Disparities in physician knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes may compromise efforts to improve antibiotic prescribing and infection control practices.

Biological and medical sciences

Medical sciences

Antibacterial agents

Pharmacology. Drug treatments

Antibiotics. Antiinfectious agents. Antiparasitic agents

Details

Title: Subtitle: Antibiotic resistance: A survey of physician perceptions
Creators: C. William WESTER - Department of Medicine, Cook County Hospital and Rush Medical College, Chicago, Ill., United States
Lakshmi DURAIRAJ - Department of Medicine, Cook County Hospital and Rush Medical College, Chicago, Ill., United States
Arthur T EVANS - Department of Medicine, Cook County Hospital and Rush Medical College, Chicago, Ill., United States
David N SCHWARTZ - Department of Medicine, Cook County Hospital and Rush Medical College, Chicago, Ill., United States
Shahid HUSAIN - Department of Medicine, Cook County Hospital and Rush Medical College, Chicago, Ill., United States
Enrique MARTINEZ - Department of Medicine, Cook County Hospital and Rush Medical College, Chicago, Ill., United States
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Archives of internal medicine (1960), Vol.162(19), pp.2210-2216
DOI: 10.1001/archinte.162.19.2210
PMID: 12390064
NLM abbreviation: Arch Intern Med
ISSN: 0003-9926
eISSN: 1538-3679
Publisher: American Medical Association
Language: English
Date published: 2002
Academic Unit: Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Occupational Medicine; Internal Medicine
Record Identifier: 9984094649402771

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