Antimicrobial resistance; hospital staff awareness at a tertiary care health facility

ABSTRACT

Antimicrobial resistance is a global problem and awareness hospital staff to it is limited. To study the awareness among hospital staff at a tertiary care health facility regarding knowledge of antimicrobial resistance. It is a prospective observational study. Sheri Kashmir institute of medical sciences which is a tertiary care medical centre in Indian part of Kashmir. Study was done over 6 month period from January 2011 to June 2011. A study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital among the hospital staff through a personal interview regarding their knowledge about antimicrobial resistance. 86% of the hospital staff interviewed considered antimicrobial resistance is a significant national problem but only 52% considered it a problem in their own hospital. Clinicians considered that antimicrobial resistance is a problem more than other professionals. Majority of health professionals including clinician's rating of the knowledge of awareness of antimicrobial resistance was average or low. The most important force/factor to prescribe any antibiotic was patient's condition, while clinician's profit interest is having the least influence. This study concluded that the knowledge of awareness of antimicrobial resistance among health care professionals indicate that it is a national problem but far less a problem at their own hospital. The in-service education regarding antimicrobial resistance among the hospital staff was not up to the mark