Although there has been increasing awareness of antibiotic resistance within the scientific and medical communities, few efforts have been made to understand how much the public knows about this issue. Our aim was to remedy this lack of understanding by conducting a survey of the public's knowledge of antibiotic resistance in the home, medical and agricultural areas. A two page survey was developed to assess knowledge of certain aspects of antibiotic resistance including: basic facts about bacteria and resistance, patient and doctor pressures to over prescribe antibiotics, implications of antibiotic overuse, perceived effectiveness of antibacterial home products and toys, effect of media and antibacterial product marketing on consumers, and perceptions about antibiotic use in agriculture. The survey was distributed to a diverse population in the Washington DC metropolitan area. Data was statistically analyzed and based upon the data an educational strategy was developed to target each subgroup. Using this strategy, we hope to help increase public awareness of the problem.
Learning Objectives: A participant in our session will be able to: 1. Have an understanding on the current level of antibiotic use in the medical and agricultural fields. 2. Have an understanding of what the public knows about antibiotic use through our survey results. 3. Gain an understanding of what educational measures can be taken in order to remedy this problem
Keywords: Antibiotic Resistance, Antimicrobial Drugs
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.