title: Knowledge and perceptions of junior and senior Spanish resident doctors about antibiotic use and resistance: results of a multicenter survey.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Antibiotic resistance has been recognized as a worldwide problem. Our aim was to assess the perceptions of Spanish residents about antibiotic use and resistance.
  
  
  METHODS
  An online cross-sectional survey was conducted on all resident doctors in five teaching hospitals (September to November 2010). A link to the questionnaire was e-mailed to 844 doctors. The questionnaire collected demographical characteristics, residents' knowledge about microorganisms of known clinical relevance, their habits in the antibiotic prescription process, and their perceptions on the activities aimed to improve antibiotic use.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We received 279 responses corresponding to 33.05% of all targeted residents. The response rate was higher among junior than among senior residents (39.95% vs. 26.12%; p<0.05). Residents of all hospitals, specialties and seniority mostly considered that antimicrobial resistance was a significant problem at national level (94.3%), at their institution (91.3%), and for their daily practice (83.8%). Residents considered their training regarding antibiotics insufficient, although up to 86.5% had prescribed antibiotics in the last month. They preferred the availability of local antibiotic guidelines (65%), specific teaching sessions, specific antimicrobial management teams or readily accessible advice from a group or an infectious diseases specialist, to improve antibiotic prescribing, rather than other restrictive interventions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most residents at the hospitals surveyed believed that antibiotic resistance was a serious problem. The results of this survey provided very important information to optimize adherence to Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs (ASPs). Educational strategies and non-restrictive aids are the most valuable interventions, which ASPs should capitalize on to improve antimicrobial prescription.
authors: Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology Unit of the Division of Internal Medicine and the Division of Microbiology, Hospital Universitario La Paz-IDIPAZ, Madrid, Spain.
authors: Carolina
authors: C
authors: Navarro-San Francisco
authors: M Dolores
authors: MD
authors: Del Toro
authors: Javier
authors: J
authors: Cobo
authors: José H
authors: JH
authors: De Gea-García
authors: Sergio
authors: S
authors: Vañó-Galván
authors: Francisco
authors: F
authors: Moreno-Ramos
authors: Jesús
authors: J
authors: Rodríguez-Baño
authors: José Ramón
authors: JR
authors: Paño-Pardo
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D057970:Inappropriate Prescribing; D055552:Infectious Disease Medicine / Q000193:education; D007396:Internship and Residency; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015995:Prevalence; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents