Patient and public understanding and knowledge of antimicrobial resistance and stewardship in a UK hospital: should public campaigns change focus?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the perspectives of patient advisors (PAs) on the current state of antimicrobial resistance (AR) and stewardship in Canada and identifies next steps, with the goal of stimulating further collaboration for action between leaders and PAs as well as research. Design/methodology/approach – The perspectives of PAs were gathered using an electronic online survey of 72 respondents. A search of peer reviewed literature and publicly available reports informed the development of the survey and the articulation of a more comprehensive viewpoint in this paper. Findings – PAs view AR as a serious and growing public health threat. They believe sharing the responsibility for infection prevention and control and antimicrobial stewardship will help to control the problem. They see healthcare professionals as the most appropriate stakeholders to influence behaviors associated with appropriate antibiotic use, however, they also see value in public campaigns. Importantly, they identify several opportunities for PA contribution: education of care providers, patients, families, and the public; co-design and development of materials, policies, improvement initiatives, and research; and participation in and promotion of public campaigns. Practical implications – Engaging PAs as partners at all system levels is becoming common practice. PAs bring a unique and complementary perspective that could contribute to antimicrobial stewardship efforts. Originality/value – This paper begins to bridge a gap between literature and practice, and proposes that PAs can contribute to antimicrobial stewardship efforts.

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The utility of an AMR dictionary as an educational tool to improve public understanding of antimicrobial resistance

Wellcome Open Research ◽

10.12688/wellcomeopenres.16488.1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 ◽

pp. 113

Author(s):

Ravikanya Prapharsavat ◽

Cherry Lim ◽

Pornpan Sunthornsut ◽

Vanaporn Wuthiekanun ◽

Jantana Wongsantichon ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

High School Students ◽

Antimicrobial Resistance ◽

Public Understanding ◽

The Internet ◽

Plain Language ◽

School Students ◽

Web Based ◽

Need To Evaluate ◽

Learning Points

Background: Communicating about antimicrobial resistance (AMR) to the public is challenging. Methods: We developed a dictionary of terms commonly used to communicate about AMR. For each term, we developed learning points to explain AMR and related concepts in plain language. We conducted a pilot evaluation in 374 high school students in Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand. In three 50-minute sessions, students were asked to answer five true/false questions using a paper-based questionnaire. The first session assessed their understanding of AMR at baseline, the second after searching the internet, and the third after the provision of the printed AMR dictionary and its web address. Results: We developed the AMR dictionary as a web-based application (www.amrdictionary.net). The Thai version of the AMR dictionary included 35 terms and associated learning points, seven figures displaying posters promoting AMR awareness in Thailand, and 66 recommended online videos. In the pretest, the proportion of correct responses to each question ranged from 10% to 57%; 10% of the students correctly answered that antibiotics cannot kill viruses and 57% correctly answered that unnecessary use of antibiotics makes them ineffective. After the internet searches, the proportions of correct answers increased, ranging from 62% to 89% (all p<0.001). After providing the AMR dictionary, the proportions of correct answers increased further, ranging from 79% to 89% for three questions (p<0.001), and did not change for one question (p=0.15). Correct responses as to whether taking antibiotics often has side-effects such as diarrhoea reduced from 85% to 74% (p<0.001). The dictionary was revised based on the findings and comments received. Conclusions: Understanding of AMR among Thai high school students is limited. The AMR dictionary can be a useful supportive tool to increase awareness and improve understanding of AMR. Our findings support the need to evaluate the effectiveness of communication tools in the real-world setting.

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