Assessing Knowledge, Beliefs, and Behaviors around Antibiotic Usage and Antibiotic Resistance among UK Veterinary Students: A Multi-Site, Cross-Sectional Survey



Golding, Sarah E, Higgins, Helen M ORCID: 0000-0003-0706-1976 and Ogden, Jane
(2022) Assessing Knowledge, Beliefs, and Behaviors around Antibiotic Usage and Antibiotic Resistance among UK Veterinary Students: A Multi-Site, Cross-Sectional Survey. ANTIBIOTICS-BASEL, 11 (2). 256-.

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Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a profound threat to human and animal health. Antimicrobial prescribing behaviours are influenced by psychological factors such as knowledge, beliefs, and emotions. As future antimicrobial prescribers, it is important to understand beliefs about AMR and stewardship among veterinary (vet) students. This cross-sectional online survey assessed vet students' self-reported behavior, knowledge, and beliefs in specific relation to antibiotic resistance (ABR) and antibiotic usage. Participants were early years (first- and second-year; <i>n</i> = 460) and later-years (third- and fourth-year; <i>n</i> = 113) undergraduate vet students from three UK universities. Self-reported antibiotic-related behaviors were responsible among most students. Knowledge about ABR and stewardship was moderate among early years students and good among later years students. Vet students typically believed that vets had less responsibility for both causing and preventing ABR than other groups (animal owners, human medics, and the public). This study offers evidence that vet students (along with other groups) tend to lay greater responsibility for ABR/AMR outside of their own profession, which may impact their future prescribing behaviors. It is vital that AMR and antimicrobial stewardship are embedded across veterinary curricula, and that the One Health nature of the challenge posed by AMR is emphasized to encourage shared responsibility across all stakeholder groups, thereby helping to reduce 'other-blaming' for AMR.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: antimicrobial resistance, antimicrobial stewardship, beliefs, one health, other-blaming, veterinary education, veterinary students
Divisions: Faculty of Health and Life Sciences
Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 19 May 2022 07:53
Last Modified: 27 Jan 2024 02:56
DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics11020256
Open Access URL: https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics11020256
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URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3155096