Assessment of Knowledge and Self-Confidence for Appropriate Antibiotic Therapy, Resistance and Workshop with Undergraduate Pharmacy Students

The pharmacy students' training regarding infectious diseases and antibiotic workshops plays an important role in the preparation of efficient health care professionals. This study determined the knowledge and self-confidence towards antibiotic resistance, appropriate antibiotic therapy, and antibiotic workshop among pharmacy students of Pakistan. A cross-sectional study design was used for survey among undergraduate pharmacy students of Pakistan using an online questionnaire. The data was collected during October-November 2020. The online questionnaire was filled by 996 students (response rate 84.2%). The mean knowledge score for resistance towards antibiotics, appropriate antibiotic therapy, and antibiotic workshop was 5.5 +/- 1.5, 4.18 +/- 1.8 (maximum score10.0), and 2.8 +/- 0.63 (maximum score 5.0) respectively. Significant differences ( p< 0.001) were found in the 'source of knowledge about antibiotics and antibiotic resistance', 'attendance of workshop or seminar about antibiotic resistance', 'pharmacy area considered by the students after completion of graduation', and 'interest of the students in following their career as an infectious disease pharmacist'. Pharmacy students in Pakistan had moderate knowledge of resistance towards antibiotics and appropriate antibiotic therapy while the knowledge regarding antibiotic workshop was poor. The efficiency of pharmacy students in this aspect needs to be improved to prepare efficient health care professionals.