title: Knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs of French medical students about antibiotic prescribing and resistance.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We had for aim to learn about medical students' knowledge and perspectives on antibiotic prescribing and bacterial resistance.
  
  
  METHODS
  Penultimate and final year students at a French medical school were invited to participate in an anonymous online survey in summer 2012.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The response rate was 20% (60/297). Penultimate and final year students gave similar answers. Students felt more confident in diagnosing an infection, and less confident in choosing the correct dose and interval of antibiotic administration. Seventy-nine percent of students wanted more training on antibiotic treatments. Sixty-nine percent of students knew that antibiotic prescriptions were inappropriate or unnecessary in 21-60% of the cases, and 95% believed that these prescriptions were unethical. Only 27% knew that more than 80% of antibiotic prescriptions were made in community practice. Students believed that the most important causes of resistance were that too many prescriptions were made and broad-spectrum antibiotic use; 27% believed poor hand hygiene was "not at all important". Ninety-four percent believed resistance was a national problem, and 69% mentioned it as a problem in their hospital. Sixty-three percent thought that the antibiotics they would prescribe would contribute to resistance, and 96% thought resistance would be a greater problem in the future. Twenty-two percent knew MRSA bacteremia rates had decreased over the past decade in France.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Medical students are aware that antibiotic resistance is a current and growing problem. They would like more training on antibiotic selection.
authors.affiliation: Torbay Hospital, Torquay, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: O J
authors.initials: OJ
authors.lastname: Dyar
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Howard
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nathwani
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pulcini
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016470:Bacteremia / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003625:Data Collection; D011307:Drug Prescriptions; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D006235:Hand Disinfection; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D055552:Infectious Disease Medicine / Q000193:education; D008297:Male; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents
keywords: Antibiotic stewardship; Bon usage des antibiotiques; Enseignement; KABP; Training