How Are We Educating Future Physicians and Pharmacists in Pakistan? A Survey of the Medical and Pharmacy Student’s Perception on Learning and Preparedness to Assume Future Roles in Antibiotic Use and Resistance
Abstract: Background: Medical and pharmacy students are future healthcare professionals who will be on the forefront in dealing with antibiotics in hospitals or community settings. Whether the current medical and pharmacy education in Pakistan prepares students to take future roles in antibiotic...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)
2021
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://irep.iium.edu.my/92726/1/92726_How%20Are%20We%20Educating%20Future%20Physicians%20and%20Pharmacists.pdf http://irep.iium.edu.my/92726/ https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/10/10/1204 https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics10101204 |
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| Summary: | Abstract: Background: Medical and pharmacy students are future healthcare professionals who
will be on the forefront in dealing with antibiotics in hospitals or community settings. Whether
the current medical and pharmacy education in Pakistan prepares students to take future roles in
antibiotic use remains an under-researched area. Aim: This study aims to compare medical and
pharmacy students’ perceived preparedness, learning practices and usefulness of the education
and training on antibiotic use and resistance imparted during undergraduate studies in Pakistan.
Design and Setting: It was amulti-centre cross-sectional survey of medical and pharmacy colleges
in Punjab, Pakistan. Method: A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from final
year medical and pharmacy students. Descriptive statistics were used for categorical variables while
independent t-test and One-way ANOVA computed group differences. Result: Nine hundred fortyeight
respondents (526 medical and 422 pharmacy students) completed the survey from 26 medical
and 19 pharmacy colleges. Majority (76.1%) of the pharmacy students had not completed a clinical
rotation in infectious diseases. The top three most often used sources of learning antibiotic use
and resistance were the same among the medical and the pharmacy students; included textbooks,
Wikipedia, and smart phone apps. Overall self-perceived preparedness scores showed no significant
difference between pharmacy and medical students.. The least prepared areas by medical and
pharmacy students included transition from intravenous to oral antibiotics and interpretation of
antibiograms. Both medical and pharmacy students found problem solving sessions attended by a
small group of students to be the most useful (very useful) teaching methodology to learn antibiotic
use and resistance. Conclusions: Differences exist between medical and pharmacy students in
educational resources used, topics covered during undergraduate degree. To curb the growing
antibiotic misuse and resistance, the concerned authorities should undertake targeted educational
reforms to ensure that future physicians and pharmacists can play a pivotal role in rationalizing the
use of antibiotics. |
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