Self-reported preparedness for prudent antimicrobial use in final-year students of four Croatian medical schools
Autori:
Andrej Belančić, Dora Palčevski, Robert Likić, Vera Vlahović-Palčevski
Sažetak
Summary
Aim: To assess self-reported preparedness for prudent antimicrobial use in final-year medical students in Croatia, and to determine possible inconsistencies in educational curricula in four Croatian medical schools. Participants and methods: All 2019 graduates were eligible to participate in this cross-sectional study at four Croatian medical schools (Osijek, Rijeka, Split, and Zagreb). The utilized questionnaire was developed by ESGAP Student-PREPARE Working Group. The 47-item questionnaire included questions on demographics, selfreported preparedness regarding prudent antimicrobial use, perceptions of the usefulness of teaching methods and perceived need for further education. Results: Response rates varied by medical school from 15.71% to 31.33%. Global preparedness scores (GPS; self-reported preparedness regarding prudent antimicrobial use) for Osijek, Zagreb, Rijeka and Split medical schools were: 48.82, 53.56, 57.14 and 66.28, respectively. Average GPS for Croatia in 2019 was 56.45, with no statistically significant difference from 2015 (62.66). A statistically significant difference was observed for 3/27 curriculum topics on prudent antimicrobial use, all in favour of Split medical students. Most students (73.68%–100%) reported requiring more/further education on antimicrobial use. A higher self-reported availability/usefulness of the more interactive teaching methods was reported for Split Medical School. Conclusion: Croatian medical students who are about to start prescribing antimicrobials on their own, generally still do not feel sufficiently prepared to do so adequately. In 2019 no noticeable interregional discrepancies were found in self-reported preparedness for prudent antimicrobial use. Greater differences were observed in perceived usefulness of teaching methods between medical schools.