Perceptions and knowledge regarding antimicrobial stewardship among clinicians in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

OBJECTIVES: To understand the perceptions, attitude, and prescribing practices of clinicians regarding antimicrobial resistance (AMR). METHODS: A multidisciplinary cross-sectional study comprising 447 clinicians of university, public, and private hospitals of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia was carried out from August to October 2014 using a self-administered questionnaire. RESULTS: Interestingly, 33% of the general physicians yielded to patient/parent’s demand for the choice of antimicrobials (AMs) as compared with only 13.2% of the residents, and 4.3% of the specialists. In addition, expensive AMs are more often prescribed by the general physician (70.4%) in comparison with 26.4% residents and 30.4% of the specialists. However, no significant differences were observed between the knowledge and perceptions regarding the current scope of AM agents, as well as their use and misuse. Furthermore, dependability of specialist and residents seems to be significantly higher than general physicians on pocketbooks and smartphone for AM education sources. CONCLUSION: This study revealed that despite a clear concept of AMR, general physicians lacks consistency in prescribing aptitude and use of effective educational resources, while all respondents lacks dedication to follow the guidelines of AM use. This highlights the requirement of AM stewardship with decisive objective of reduction in AMR.