Which antimicrobial stewardship interventions do pharmacy students resonate with the most?

Area of Science:

• Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Infectious Diseases
• Medical Education

Background:

• Antimicrobial stewardship is crucial for combating antimicrobial resistance.
• Pharmacists are key members of antimicrobial stewardship teams.
• Assessing and enhancing pharmacy student knowledge in this area is vital for future practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the antimicrobial stewardship knowledge of undergraduate pharmacy students.
• To map student understanding against the World Health Organization's (WHO) antimicrobial stewardship interventions.
• To identify areas for curriculum improvement in pharmacy education.

Main Methods:

• Pharmacy students completed post-unit reflections after an infectious diseases academic unit.
• Responses were analyzed using summative content analysis.
• Student feedback was mapped to the 10 themes of the WHO practical guide on antimicrobial stewardship interventions.

Main Results:

• Students showed greater resonance with pre-prescribing antimicrobial stewardship themes (e.g., clinician education, antibiotic timeouts) compared to post-prescribing interventions.
• Confidence in intervening against suboptimal antimicrobial prescribing varied: 61.6% of Australian students and 33.7% of Malaysian students felt confident.
• Prior authorization and de-labeling of antibiotic allergies were the least understood or represented themes among students.

Conclusions:

• Pharmacy students generally feel equipped to address inappropriate antimicrobial prescribing, especially at the pre-prescribing stage through education.
• Curricula should be enhanced to include more content on restricted antimicrobial authorization and the de-labeling of antibiotic allergies.
• Addressing these knowledge gaps will better prepare future pharmacists for comprehensive antimicrobial stewardship roles.