“Antibiotic prescribing etiquette” an elective course for medical students: could we recruit potential physicians to fight resistance?

BACKGROUND: A better understanding of medical students’ competencies about antimicrobial resistance and their use could facilitate a more effective education for them as future prescribers. The aim is to explore the educational impact of an elective course on medical students’ knowledge, perception, and attitude toward antibiotic resistance and use. METHODS: Between December 2021 and January 2022, when a 2-credit hours elective course was designed and implemented, this interventional study was conducted. The primary outcome measure was the change in medical students’ knowledge, perception, and attitude about antibiotic resistance and use. Using a pre-post course questionnaire, this outcome was assessed. The secondary measure included students’ perception of the course; assessed by a post-course online survey. RESULTS: Among the 50 enrolled students, the total knowledge score had significantly increased after the course with 95% CI After the course, with medium effect size ( Cohen’s d= -0.7 ) the participants’ mean ± SD total perception and attitude scores had significantly increased (52.38 ± 5.53 vs. 56.84 ± 5.86) respectively, (p = 0.000) with large effect size (( Cohen’s d= -0.8) There was a significant positive correlation between the total knowledge, attitude, and perception after the course (r = 0.542, p < 0.01). The mean ± SD of the overall course satisfaction was 4.20 ± 0.94. out of 5. CONCLUSION: Medical students’ knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes towards antimicrobial prescription have been improved after the elective antibiotic prescribing etiquette course. Elective courses could offer a great opportunity to enable the students to understand the extent of the problem, stand on the facts, and take responsibility for the antibiotic resistance crisis. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NA SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12909-022-03949-9.