Knowledge and attitudes of doctor of pharmacy students regarding the appropriate use of antimicrobials

Julie Ann Justo; Timothy P Gauthier; Marc H Scheetz; Elias B Chahine; P Brandon Bookstaver; Jason C Gallagher; Elizabeth D Hermsen; Daryl D DePestel; Erika J Ernst; David M Jacobs; John S Esterly; Katie J Suda; Keith M Olsen; Lilian M Abbo; Conan MacDougall

doi:10.1093/cid/ciu537

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Knowledge and attitudes of doctor of pharmacy students regarding the appropriate use of antimicrobials

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Knowledge and attitudes of doctor of pharmacy students regarding the appropriate use of antimicrobials

Julie Ann Justo, Timothy P Gauthier, Marc H Scheetz, Elias B Chahine, P Brandon Bookstaver, Jason C Gallagher, Elizabeth D Hermsen, Daryl D DePestel, Erika J Ernst, David M Jacobs, …

Clinical infectious diseases, Vol.59 Suppl 3(suppl_3), pp.S162-S169

10/15/2014

DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciu537

PMCID: PMC4303059

PMID: 25261543

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Abstract

Pharmacists are key partners in antimicrobial stewardship efforts, yet their degree of education on and attitudes toward this topic during training are not well documented. An electronic survey measuring knowledge and attitudes regarding antimicrobial use and resistance was administered to graduating pharmacy students at 12 US schools of pharmacy. Of 1445 pharmacy students, 579 (40%) completed the survey. The vast majority (94%) believed that strong knowledge of antimicrobials was important for their pharmacy careers, and 89% desired more education on appropriate antimicrobial use. Most students (84%) considered their pharmacy education regarding antimicrobials useful or very useful, but there was significant variability on perceptions of preparation for most antimicrobial stewardship activities according to the students' school. The mean number of correct answers on a section of 11 knowledge questions was 5.8 (standard deviation 2.0; P value for score between schools <.001). On multivariable linear regression analysis, significant predictors of a higher knowledge score were pharmacy school attended, planned postgraduate training, completion of a clinical rotation in infectious diseases, perception of pharmacy school education as useful, use of resources to answer the knowledge questions, and use of Infectious Diseases Society of America guidelines and smartphone applications as frequent resources for learning about antimicrobials. Pharmacy students perceive antimicrobial stewardship to be an important healthcare issue and desire more education on the subject. Student perceptions of antimicrobial coursework and actual antimicrobial knowledge scores significantly varied by the school of pharmacy attended. Sharing of best practices among institutions may enhance the preparation of future pharmacists to contribute to effective antimicrobial stewardship.

Drug Resistance

Adult

Anti-Infective Agents

Attitude of Health Personnel

Cross-Sectional Studies

Drug Utilization

Female

Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice

Humans

Inappropriate Prescribing

Male

Students, Pharmacy - psychology

Students, Pharmacy - statistics & numerical data

Young Adult

Details

Title: Subtitle: Knowledge and attitudes of doctor of pharmacy students regarding the appropriate use of antimicrobials
Creators: Julie Ann Justo - University of South Carolina
Timothy P Gauthier - Nova Southeastern University
Marc H Scheetz - Midwestern University
Elias B Chahine - Palm Beach Atlantic University
P Brandon Bookstaver - University of South Carolina
Jason C Gallagher - Temple University
Elizabeth D Hermsen - University of Nebraska Medical Center
Daryl D DePestel - Cubist Pharmaceuticals (United States)
Erika J Ernst - University of Iowa
David M Jacobs - University at Buffalo School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, New York
John S Esterly - Chicago State University
Katie J Suda - United States Department of Veterans Affairs
Keith M Olsen - University of Nebraska Medical Center
Lilian M Abbo - University of Miami
Conan MacDougall - University of California, San Francisco
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Clinical infectious diseases, Vol.59 Suppl 3(suppl_3), pp.S162-S169
DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciu537
PMID: 25261543
PMCID: PMC4303059
NLM abbreviation: Clin Infect Dis
ISSN: 1058-4838
eISSN: 1537-6591
Grant note: UL1 TR000062 / NCATS NIH HHS UL1TR000062 / NCATS NIH HHS
Language: English
Date published: 10/15/2014
Academic Unit: Pharmacy Practice and Science
Record Identifier: 9984366040102771

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