The knowledge and perception of undergraduate students on antimicrobial resistance and antimicrobial stewardship in selected faculties in Delta state university, Abraka

Background: Despite successes in antimicrobial discovery, infectious diseases remain a threat due to drug-resistant microorganisms. Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) is crucial in combating antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This study investigates the knowledge and perception of undergraduate healthcare students at Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka, on AMR and AMS, and their preparedness to implement AMS in clinical practice.

Method: Respondents knowledge of antimicrobial resistance and antimicrobial stewardship was investigated using a virtually administered questionnaire. Chi-square test of Independence was used to evaluate the relationship between specific variables and respondents’ knowledge.

Results: A total of 136 responses was received, which represents 93.79% of the sample size of 145. Pharmacy Students represent 51.47% of respondents, while Nursing and MBBS Students represent 28.68% and 19.85% respectively. There was a significant relationship between Students course of study and the level of knowledge of AMR with a p-value of 0.2061 > 0.05 significant level, while a p-value of 0.0461 showed there was no significant relationship between Students course of study and their knowledge of AMS.

Conclusion: The significant relationship between knowledge of AMR and course of study among undergraduate healthcare students of DELSU highlights the knowledge gap that needs to be filled with respect to AMR and AMS. This underlines the need to adjust University curriculum to better equip healthcare students as well as recent graduates on AMR and AMS. Further research may be done to know if these findings hold true for students studying health related courses in other universities within Nigeria.