Knowledge of Antibiotic Use and Antimicrobial Resistance among Healthcare Workers at a Tertiary Hospital in Monrovia, Liberia; A Facility-Based Cross-Sectional Study

Author(s):

Victor Saah Taylor, Bluefin Masell Freeman and Bode Ireti Shobayo*

Background: Globally, healthcare systems are currently facing a significant challenge in terms of antibiotic resistance. Healthcare workers actively participate in the process of prescribing and administering antibiotics. Aim: Was to assess the knowledge regarding antibiotic use and antibiotic resistance among healthcare workers working in a tertiary hospital located in Monrovia, Liberia. Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional survey was carried out and study participants were selected using convenient sampling. Statistical analysis was performed by using Epidemiological information (Epi-Info) 7.2.5.0 after entering the data using Microsoft Excel 2016. Results: Sixty-one (61) health workers with ages ranging from 20-60 years took part in the study. The mean age of the study participants was 29.6 years (± 5, range=27–32) with males accounting for 19 (31.1%) of the participants while 42 (68.9%) were females. Majority of participants, 38 (62.3%), reported that they never had AMR training before and only 27 (44.3%) said that antibiotics are used to treat bacterial infections. Being female (aOR: 0.45; 95% CI: 0.21– 0.96) and having a high school diploma (aOR: 11.2; 95% CI: 3.94-35.1) were significantly associated with knowledge of AMR. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that the knowledge of healthcare workers on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) was found to be generally moderate. For healthcare workers to effectively support efforts aimed at preventing antibiotic resistance, they must enhance their knowledge on antibiotic usage and Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR). The study also provides baseline data that might be utilized in the development of a program to enhance the knowledge of healthcare workers on AMR.