Knowledge and perceptions of veterinary students on antimicrobial prescribing and stewardship

Farm animal practitioners play an important role in antimicrobial stewardship. The veterinary curriculum needs to equip students with knowledge of the underpinning principles to achieve competence in responsible <br/>prescribing practices at graduation. <br/>Evidence from health sciences literature and studies of veterinary students globally indicates that students do not consistently consider themselves prepared for responsible prescribing at graduation. In this study, <br/>we used an online survey and focus groups to explore the knowledge and perceptions of antimicrobial stewardship and prescribing practices of final year veterinary students at a UK university. The aim of this study was to inform the future curricula at Bristol Veterinary School and provide insights for other UK veterinary schools.<br/>The results indicated that students were able to correctly identify first-line antimicrobials, however there was some confusion over what is a second or third-line antimicrobial. When making decisions on whether to <br/>prescribe antimicrobials for clinical presentations, students acknowledged the influence of broader aspects of the case such as the history and clinical examination. They also drew upon knowledge from didactic <br/>teaching as well as experiences during extra-mural studies, demonstrating the roles that case experience and discussions with practitioners have in development of competence. Students indicated they were aware of <br/>published guidelines on antimicrobial stewardship but wanted additional resources to support their decision making when prescribing for clinical cases on farm.