Students' Practices and Knowledge on Antimicrobial Usage and Resistance in Split, Croatia: The Education of Future Prescribers

Aims:To evaluate the effect of biomedical students' ongoing education, we assessed their knowledge and attitudes toward antimicrobial use. Study Design:A cross-sectional study was carried out among the students of four study programs: Medicine in Croatian, Medicine in English, Dental medicine, and Pharmacy. The anonymous questionnaire was distributed to students who attended classes from April to May 2018. Results:A total of 947 (86%) out of 1,107 students enrolled at the University of Split School of Medicine participated in this study. A third of dental students (51/159) and a quarter of medical (113/458) and pharmacy students (32/130) believed that paracetamol was an antibiotic that reduces pain. However, the percentage significantly decreased from the first to the final years. Only 31% of the final year dental medicine students (5/16) named a correct guideline for the usage of antimicrobial drugs, 23% of medical students (18/78), and none in the English program. Pharmacy students were the most informed, since 76% of the final year students (16/21) named Intersectoral Coordination Mechanism for the Control of Antimicrobial Resistance (ISKRA) guidelines. Conclusion:The students showed poor knowledge on the use of guidelines for antibiotic use, highlighting the need for changes in the existing curricula, including a more effective course on antimicrobial prescribing.