Pediatric healthcare practitioners have modest knowledge of factors that would increase risk of antibiotic resistance, according to a study published in BMC Pediatrics.
Researchers asked staff and trainee physicians at a single tertiary care pediatric hospital to complete questionnaires anonymously between late September 2011 and February 2012. Of 159 eligible candidates, 86 responded, of which 77 reported regularly prescribing antimicrobials.
According to the study, most had modest knowledge of factors that could increase antibiotic resistance however, less than 20 percent had correct knowledge of local resistance patterns for common bacteria.
Over half of trainees and one-third of staff relied most on online manuals for information regarding antimicrobials to assist prescription decision-making.
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