Ahmet DOĞAN

and 8 more

Background: Antibiotic resistance is an increasingly important public health issue. When discussing the source of this problem, the training of intern doctors is highly important. Objectives: This study aimed to measure the knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of intern doctors about antibiotic treatment and to determine the situation on the subject. Materials and Methods: A 34-question questionnaire was prepared for the study, and volunteers were administered the questionnaire face-to-face or via a Google survey form on a mobile WatsApp application. Prospectively, 221 volunteer physicians participated in the survey, which was conducted between March 15-22, 2024. Results: Of the study participants, 118 (53.4%) were male, and 103 (46.6%) were female. The mean age (mean+SD) was 24 (24.46+1.83). Although a high percentage of respondents responded that their general antibiotic knowledge was correct, this percentage was low for the questions about antibiotic usage. The responses regarding the relationship between incorrect usage and resistance were generally correct. However, the underlying resistance mechanisms are not fully understood. The importance of resistance is not well known. This was supported by the fact that antibiotics should be started in every case of fever. Another false perception was that antibiotic treatment should be discontinued immediately when the patient’s clinical condition is relieved and the remaining antibiotics should be stored and reused. There was a significant but weak positive correlation between age and antibiotic knowledge and between age and resistance awareness (p=0.002 and p=0.007, respectively). A significant difference was also found between the attitude and perception scores according to gender (p=0.002). There was a significant (p=0.003) but moderate positive correlation between antibiotic knowledge and resistance awareness and a significant (p<0.001) but weak positive correlation between antibiotic knowledge and attitude and perception scores. Conclusion: Increasing the level of knowledge of intern doctors about general antibiotic usage and resistance will increase resistance awareness and correct false attitudes and perceptions.