Perceptions, attitudes, and practices of French junior physicians regarding antibiotic use and resistance

To assess the perceptions, attitudes, and practices of French junior physicians regarding antibiotic use and resistance, and then to identify the characteristics of junior physicians associated with appropriate practices of antibiotic use.

European junior physicians received an email invitation to complete a 49 item web questionnaire between September 2015 and January 2016. We present the French data. Multivariate regression models were used to identify the characteristics of junior physicians associated with appropriate prescription practices and with consideration of the antibiotic prescription consequences.

The questionnaire was completed by 641 junior physicians: family medicine (37%), other medical specialties (e.g., pediatrics, internal medicine, neurology: 45%), surgical specialties (11%), and anesthesiology-intensive care specialty (7%). Most respondents (93%) declared being aware of the risk of bacterial resistance and 41% acknowledged prescribing antibiotics more often than necessary. Two factors were independently associated with appropriate prescription practices: a high perceived level of education on antibiotic use (OR=1.51; 95% CI [1.01-2.30]) and a medical specialty (OR=1.69; 95% CI [1.16-2.46]). Factors independently associated with taking into account adverse events of antibiotics were a good perceived knowledge of antibiotics (OR=3.71; 95% CI [2.09-6.61]), and a high perceived education level on antibiotics (OR=1.70; 95% CI [1.11-2.58]).

Our data can help better define interventions targeting junior physicians in antibiotic stewardship programs.