A Survey of Knowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs of Medical Students Concerning Antimicrobial Use and Resistance

Abstract

Physicians who are insufficiently prepared to make choices on antibiotic selection may use antibiotics inappropriately. We surveyed medical students' perceptions and attitudes about their training on antimicrobial use to identify gaps in medical education. Medical students at an urban medical school in the northeast were e-mailed a link to an online survey. The survey was online for 1 week, after which time the survey responses were downloaded and analyzed. Thirty percent of medical students responded to the survey (n = 304). The majority of third- and fourth-year medical students believe that antibiotics are overused in the hospital and in outpatient areas. Over three quarters of the students would like more education on antibiotic selection, and 83% wanted this education to be during the third year of medical school. The resources they used the most for antibiotic selection included other physicians and handheld programs such as Epocrates, but no clear resource emerged as the dominant preference. Medical students recognized the importance of judicious antibiotic use and would like greater instruction on how to choose antibiotics appropriately. Medical school curricula should be expanded in the third year of medical school to provide students with additional training timed with their clinical rotations.