Italian young doctors' knowledge, attitudes and practices on antibiotic use and resistance: A national cross-sectional survey.

OBJECTIVES: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the major health issues worldwide. Clinicians should play a central role to fight AMR, and medical training is a pivotal issue to combat it; therefore, assessing levels of knowledge, attitudes and practices among young doctors is essential for future antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programmes. METHODS: A nationwide, cross-sectional, multicentre survey was conducted in Italy. A descriptive analysis of knowledge and attitudes was performed, along with a univariate and multivariate analysis of their determinants. RESULTS: Overall, 1179 young doctors accessed the survey and 1055 (89.5%) completed all sections. Regarding the knowledge section of the questionnaire, almost all participants declared to know the different species of bacteria proposed, however the percentage of participants who correctly responded to clinical quizzes was 23% for the question on vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), 42% on carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), 32% on extended-spectrum ß-lactamase-producing enterobacteria (ESBL) and 27% on methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Similarly, 81% of participants disagreed in stating that AMR was adequately addressed during their medical training and 71% disagreed that they received the right example from their tutors. Finally, a high rate of agreement with the proposed actions to combat AMR was documented; in particular, the percentage agreement was 76% for respondents who agreed to be part of an active surveillance system or AMS programme. CONCLUSIONS: Tackling AMR should be a priority for politicians and for all health workers. Inclusion of competencies in antibiotic use in all specialty curricula is urgently needed.

Knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of the Italian population towards Neisseria meningitidis, Streptococcus pneumoniae and HPV diseases and vaccinations: A cross-sectional multicentre study.

OBJECTIVES: This study addressed knowledge of Streptococcus pneumoniae, Neisseria meningitidis and human papillomavirus (HPV), and attitudes and behaviours towards vaccines against them. STUDY DESIGN: This is a cross-sectional, multicentre study. METHODS: Data were collected through a questionnaire administered to 530 adults who accessed four Departments of Prevention of the Italian National Health Service in 2013. RESULTS: Less than 50% of people gave the right answer to all the questions concerning the three diseases, but 96.2%, 94% and 92.7% agreed with the importance of vaccination against N. meningitidis, S. pneumoniae and HPV, respectively, and 58.4% expressed own willingness to have their children vaccinated with N. meningitidis B vaccine. The attitude towards vaccination was more positive in women for N. meningitidis and in people having children for HPV. Furthermore, individuals giving correct answers to all knowledge items were more in favour of both HPV and S. pneumoniae vaccination. A total of 68.8%, 82.6% and 84.5% of respondents vaccinated their own children against N. meningitidis C, S. pneumoniae and HPV, respectively. About 50% of the respondents reported paediatricians' or other health professionals' recommendations as the main reason for vaccination. CONCLUSIONS: Vaccinations may be promoted through actions aimed at increasing citizens' knowledge. Health professionals should be educated to actively provide information on vaccinations in a clear, comprehensive and effective way.