Knowledge, perception and practice of antimicrobial stewardship among doctors in public secondary healthcare facilities in Kaduna State, Nigeria: A pilot survey

Abstract

Infectious diseases remain a major cause of morbidity and mortality especially in Africa, Nigeria inclusive. Antimicrobials are used to treat microbes; hence their rational use is very crucial. This study assessed knowledge, perception and practice of antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) among doctors in public secondary healthcare facilities in Kaduna State. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted from March to May 2020 among doctors using a self-administered questionnaire. A total of sixty doctors were selected using a multi-stage sampling technique. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 23 and results were presented using tables and charts. Chi square and Fisher’s exact tests were used to test for association between categorical variables where appropriate. The level of statistical significance was set at p-value of <0.05. The median age of the participants was 33.5 years. Over half (52.6%) of the respondents were unaware of the term AMS; 29.8% had good knowledge of AMS and 87.7% had positive perception towards AMS. Three out of ten (30.0%) respondents had good practice of AMS. There were no statistically significant associations between age, sex, educational qualification and department of the respondents and the practice of AMS. The respondents’ knowledge of AMS was poor and majority had positive perception, but the practice among them was poor. There is need for training and retraining of doctors on AMS by the State Ministry of Health and their professional associations in order to enhance knowledge and practice on AMS.