Effectiveness of an Information Booklet on the Awareness of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) among Health Care Professionals in a Selected Primary Care Hospital

Abstract

The study aimed to assess the level of knowledge on Antibiotics and its resistance among healthcare professionals and the effectiveness of an information booklet, which includes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for to use of Antibiotics to prevent Antimicrobial resistance (AMR). AMR occurs when bacteria change over time and no longer respond to medicines. Antimicrobial resistance leads to higher medical costs, prolonged hospital stays and increased mortality. Knowledge of Antibiotics is essential in preventing from ill effects of AMR. According to the CDC, in 2018, inappropriate prescribing of antibiotics contributed to antibiotics-resistant conditions, which led to 2 million infections and killed about  23,000 Americans annually.  In India, 4.95 million people died in 2019 suffered from drug-resistant infections and antibiotic resistance was the direct cause for 1.27 million of those deaths. An experimental research design employed non probability convenient sampling technique to select the 60 samples in a selected primary care hospital.  The majority, 44 (73%), of health professionals were between the ages of 21 and 30 years, 40(67%) were nurses, 13(22%) were medical practitioners and 7(11%) were pharmacists. While considering their area of work majority 20(33%) of them, were from the ward and 14(23%) from the ICU setting. Level of knowledge gain score measured using Extended McNemar`s chi-square test revealed health professionals gained 20.27% with 95% CI and it was found statically significant (c2=43.81 P=0.001***). The study results recommend such an interdisciplinary approach of training doctors, nurses and pharmacists to become sensitive and update themselves to reduce the incidence of Antimicrobial resistance among the common public.