A cross-sectional descriptive study of pharmacists’ knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions regarding antibiotic resistance and antimicrobial stewardship conducted post-COVID-19 pandemic at a UK NHS Foundation Trust

Abdelsalam Elshenawy, Rasha, Umaru, Nikkie and Aslanpour, Zoe (2025) A cross-sectional descriptive study of pharmacists’ knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions regarding antibiotic resistance and antimicrobial stewardship conducted post-COVID-19 pandemic at a UK NHS Foundation Trust. Journal of Pharmaceutical Health Services Research (JPHSR), 16: rmaf001. pp. 1-8. ISSN 1759-8893
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Objectives Addressing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has become increasingly vital due to the concerning rise in inappropriate antibiotic use exacerbated by the challenges faced during the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. This study aimed to investigate the knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of pharmacists regarding antibiotic prescribing, AMR, and antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) practices, highlighting the role of the workforce in addressing these challenges, based on their experiences during the pandemic within a UK acute care setting at an National Health Service (NHS) Foundation Trust. Methods In 2023, an online survey conducted via Qualtrics facilitated a prospective cross-sectional study. Pharmacists working within an NHS Foundation Trust during the pandemic participated. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics with IBM SPSS Statistics. Key Findings The majority of respondents were aged 25–31 years, representing 44.0% (55/125), and 70.4% (88/125) held postgraduate degrees. Regarding knowledge, 85.2% (107/125) recognized AMR as a public health concern, 91.2% (114/125) believed actions against AMR would benefit society, and 85.6% (107/125) supported AMS for prudent antibiotic use. For attitudes, 80% (100/125) reported that COVID-19 patient conditions influenced antibiotic prescribing, and 79.2% (99/125) valued communication between microbiologists and AMS teams during the pandemic. Conclusion This descriptive study, conducted at a single NHS Foundation Trust, highlights pharmacists’ exemplary knowledge, showcasing their capability to deliver effective and impactful AMS practices during the pandemic. As vital members of the healthcare workforce, they revealed the potential to co-lead AMS initiatives. Enhanced training is crucial for sustainable AMS practices, confronting AMR, and safeguarding patient lives.
Item Type Article
Additional information © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Keywords nhs foundation trust, pandemic, pandemic (covid19), antibiotic dashboard, antibiotic optimisation, antibiotic prescribing, antibiotic prescribing trends, antibiotic resistance, antibiotic review, antibiotic safety measures, antibiotic selection, antibiotic stewardship, antibiotic stewardship, antibiotic trends, antibiotic use, antibiotics, prescribing drug misuse, prescribing practice, pharmacists role, pharmacists, pharmacists’ role, antimicrobial, antimicrobial efficacy, antimicrobial resistance, antimicrobial resistance (amr), antimicrobial stewardship (ams), antimicrobial stewardship, methods, antimicrobials, stewardship evaluation, stewardship practices, resistance, resistance, knowledge, knowledge for practice, knowledge practices, knowledge networks, attitudes, attitudes, attitudes, teamwork, health professions education, medical education,, perceptions, perceptions and attitudes, covid-19, covid-19 pandemic, covid-19 impact on antibiotic practices, covid-19 impact, covid-19 pandemic, covid-19 vaccines, epidemiology, prevention & control, psychology, pandemic effects, pandemic response, pandemics preparedness, prevention & control, nhs trust, healthcare workforce, healthcare workers, healthcare workers', healthcare workers' perspectives, healthcare quality improvement, healthcare professionals, public health concern, public health, public health, public health england (phe) toolkit, public health., cross-sectional study, cross-sectional retrospective review, cross-sectional studies, knowledge and attitudes, perceptions of amr, antibiotic use, microbiologist collaboration, microbiology, infection control, patient safety, patient safety, health policy, health policy, evidence-based practice, evidence-based practices, spss data analysis, uk healthcare system, sustainable ams practices, sustainable development, sustainable development goals, united nations sdgs, pharmacy, pharmacy development, pharmacy education, pharmacy practice, pharmacy practice, pharmacy profession, methods, mpharm, ospap, multidisciplinary, multidisciplinary approach, multidisciplinary collaboration, multidisciplinary team
Date Deposited 15 May 2025 15:50
Last Modified 31 May 2025 00:47

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