Infection and Drug Resistance (Mar 2024)

Knowledge, Perception, and Self-Confidence of Antibiotic Resistance, Appropriate Antibiotic Therapy, and Antibiotic Stewardship Among Undergraduate Pharmacy Students in Sudan

  • Abdelkarim OA,
  • Abubakar U,
  • Hussain MA,
  • Abadi AEB,
  • Mohamed AO,
  • Osman W,
  • Sherif AE,
  • Ebrahim SA,
  • Ahmed AH,
  • Ahmed MO,
  • Ashour A

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 17
pp. 935 – 949

Abstract

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Omalhassan Amir Abdelkarim,1 Usman Abubakar,2 Mohamed A Hussain,3 Abd Elrahman Babiker Abadi,1 Ahmed Osman Mohamed,3 Wadah Osman,4,5 Asmaa E Sherif,4,6 Sara Altayep Ebrahim,1 Asmaa Hussein Ahmed,1 Marwa Omer Ahmed,1 Ahmed Ashour4,6 1Department of Pharmacy Practice and Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, International University of Africa, Khartoum, Sudan; 2Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Practice, College of Pharmacy, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar; 3Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, International University of Africa, Khartoum, Sudan; 4Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al-KharJ, Saudi Arabia; 5Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan; 6Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mansoura University, Mansoura, EgyptCorrespondence: Omalhassan Amir Abdelkarim, Department of Pharmacy Practice and Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, International University of Africa, Khartoum, PO Box 2469, Sudan, Email [email protected]: Adequate training in infectious diseases and antibiotic resistance is crucial for pharmacy students to participate in antibiotic stewardship programs and understand microbiology careers.Aim: The study was carried out to assess the knowledge and self-reported confidence in antibiotic resistance, antibiotic therapy, and antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) among final-year undergraduate pharmacy students in Sudan.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in three universities using a 57-item online questionnaire between April and May 2022.Results: A total of 109 students (response rate 36%) participated and showed average knowledge scores of 5.6± 1.7 (out of 10.0) for antibiotic resistance, 4.9± 2.0 (out of 5.0) for appropriate antibiotic therapy, and 3.1± 1.4 (out of 5.0) for AMS. No significant differences were observed among schools. Some students reported poor knowledge about antibiotic therapy and the consequences of resistance. One-third of students lacked confidence in interpreting microbiological results. Knowledge of antibiotic resistance among students’ practice area after graduation was higher (p=0.017) and those interested in ID careers (5.8 vs 4.8) (p=0.037). Male students (5.6 vs 4.5) and those interested in ID careers (4.3 vs 3.4) (p< 0.001) had higher scores of appropriate antibiotic therapy. Students attended antibiotic resistance courses (51.5 vs 45.2), and those interested in ID significantly had higher self-confidence (55.3 vs 45.8) (p=0.008).Conclusion: Pharmacy students in Sudan have substantial knowledge of AMS and antibiotic resistance with poor knowledge of antibiotic therapy. Adequate training about infectious diseases and related topics is recommended to improve pharmacy students’ understanding of microbiological findings, other competencies, and skills to incorporate in antimicrobial stewardship.Keywords: antibiotic resistance, antimicrobial stewardship, antimicrobial therapy, Sudan, pharmacy students

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