Effect of educational intervention on nurses' perception and practice of antimicrobial stewardship programs

Nurse involvement in antimicrobial stewardship programs is insufficient, which limits the programs' effectiveness. To evaluate the effect of the training programs on nurses' perception and practice of antimicrobial stewardship to embed it in practice.

A quasi-experimental study without a control group was conducted on 115 nurses. A specifically validated and designed instrument was utilized to evaluate perception and practice before, after, and 2 months follow-up the training sessions.

The difference between the pre, post, and 2 months follow-up tests was highly significant for the dimensions of knowledge, perception, and practice (P < .01). Also, nurses reported a lack of knowledge, lack of training, high workload as barriers of AMS. Nurses suggested ways to overcome barriers such as physician and manager support, in-service training every 6 months, and saving time for training and education.

An educational intervention improved perception and practice among nurses related to antimicrobial stewardship and easily embedded it in practice.