Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs: Perceptions, and Practices among
Jordanian Practitioners
Abstract
Abstract Background Rising incidents of antibiotic resistance and
development of multidrug resistance bacteria is an increasing concern in
Jordan. Antimicrobial stewardship programs are of paramount importance
in containing this problem. It is important to be aware of healthcare
practitioners’ view of antimicrobial stewardship programs and how it
influences their choice of antibiotics. Objective To assess Jordanian
practitioners’ perceptions and practices towards antimicrobial
stewardship programs. Methods This was a multicenter, cross sectional
study in which physicians and clinical pharmacists were approached to
fill out a close-ended structured questionnaire covering aspects related
to antimicrobial stewardship program perceptions and practices. Main
outcome measure Comparison of median scores (interquartile ranges).
Results A total of 286 participants were enrolled in the study. There
was an overall positive perception towards antimicrobial stewardship
program, while practices related to this element was still suboptimal.
Additional comparison of the overall perception scores among different
demographic characteristics showed that longer years of practice,
postgraduate studies, and practice in academic sectors yielded higher
perception scores (p value= 0.0335, 0.0328, and 0.0007 respectively).
Conclusion There is an imminent need to enhance Jordanian practitioners’
knowledge about antimicrobial stewardship programs. A clear recognition
of integral antimicrobial stewardship programs’ components must be
coupled with highlight changes in current practices related to
antimicrobials usage and prescription. Keywords: Antibiotic,
Stewardship, Jordan, Clinical Pharmacist, Physician, Perception,
Practice