Towards a Better and Harmonized Education in Antimicrobial Stewardship in European Veterinary Curricula
Carmen Espinosa-Gongora,
Lisbeth Rem Jessen,
Oliver James Dyar,
Alain Bousquet-Melou,
Bruno González-Zorn,
Céline Pulcini,
Giovanni Re,
Stefan Schwarz,
Dorina Timofte,
Pierre-Louis Toutain,
Luca Guardabassi,
The PREPARE-VET Working Group,
ESCMID Study Group for Veterinary Microbiology (ESGVM),
ESCMID Study Group for Antimicrobial stewardshiP (ESGAP)
Affiliations
Carmen Espinosa-Gongora
Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 1870 Frederiksberg C, Denmark
Lisbeth Rem Jessen
Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 1870 Frederiksberg C, Denmark
Oliver James Dyar
Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, 17165 Stockholm, Sweden
Alain Bousquet-Melou
INTHERES—Innovations Thérapeutiques et Résistances, École Nationale Vétérinaire de Toulouse, 31076 Toulouse, France
Bruno González-Zorn
Antimicrobial resistance Unit, VISAVET Health Surveillance Centre, Veterinary School, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Céline Pulcini
APEMAC, Université de Lorraine, F-54000 Nancy, France
Giovanni Re
Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, I-10095 Turin, Italy
Stefan Schwarz
Institute of Microbiology and Epizootics, Freie Universität Berlin, 14163 Berlin, Germany
Dorina Timofte
Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, Department of Anatomy Physiology and Pathology, University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Cheshire CH64 7TE, UK
Pierre-Louis Toutain
INTHERES—Innovations Thérapeutiques et Résistances, École Nationale Vétérinaire de Toulouse, 31076 Toulouse, France
Luca Guardabassi
Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 1870 Frederiksberg C, Denmark
The PREPARE-VET Working Group
ESCMID Study Group for Veterinary Microbiology (ESGVM)
ESCMID Study Group for Antimicrobial stewardshiP (ESGAP)
Education in antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) in veterinary medicine is essential to foster responsible antimicrobial use and control of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in animals. AMS is listed by the EU and international organizations among the basic ‘Day One Competences’ required of veterinary students upon graduation. Our aim was to evaluate the quality of education of European veterinary students in AMS. We distributed a 27-item survey addressing the perceptions of preparedness and acquired skills on key topics related to AMS to final-year veterinary students in Europe. We collected 3423 complete answers from 89 veterinary schools in 30 countries. Selection of treatment strategies and awareness of emerging AMR problems were markedly different between countries. Overall, only one in four students was familiar with guidelines for antimicrobial use. The students perceived a medium-high impact of veterinary antimicrobial use on AMR in humans. Notably, 75% of the students felt the need for improved teaching on AMS, half of which also demanded more teaching on general antimicrobial therapy. Our results highlight several possible strategies to improve the quality of education, ranging from a better link between clinical rotations and the theory taught in pre-clinical modules, to a more effective introduction into best practices for antimicrobial use.
