Antimicrobial prescription KAP among physicians in primary care institutions in Southwest China

The current status of antimicrobial prescription knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) landscape regarding antimicrobial prescriptions among the physicians in southwestern China was evaluated in this study. The objective of this study was to pinpoint the weak areas in the physicians' antimicrobial prescription KAP and provide targeted recommendations.

In this cross-sectional study, a multi-stage sampling method was adopted to select 192 primary care institutions from 9 prefecture-level administrative divisions in southwest China, and questionnaires were distributed to the physicians within these institutions. The KAP score of antimicrobial prescription among the physicians was calculated. Variables on the demographic characteristics of the physicians were also collected. For comparisons between groups on single-factor variables, t-tests or one-way analysis of variance, while multiple linear regression was utilized to further explore the influencing factors.

A total of 518 physicians were included in this study. The physicians' average scores for antimicrobial prescription KAP were 3.98 ± 1.85 (<50%, poor level), 41.97 ± 4.59 (50-79%, average level), and 40.01 ± 5.63(>80%, good level), respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that work duration significantly influenced physicians' antimicrobial prescription knowledge and attitude levels, whereas sex was the primary factor affecting their antimicrobial prescription attitude and practices levels (P < 0.05).

Among the physicians in southwest China, the overall score for antimicrobial prescription knowledge was relatively low, the scores for prescription attitudes and practices were generally average and high. These results provide valuable insights for relevant departments and institutions regarding physicians' antimicrobial prescription KAP in primary care institutions, thereby guiding the optimization of policies and the development of targeted interventions.