About this Research Topic
Since their clinical introduction in the 1950s, antibiotics have emerged as one of the most important groups of medicines. However, with the continuous emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threatens sustainable healthcare and the efficacious treatment of life-threatening infections. The two main hallmarks of AMR include the lack of novel antimicrobial agents and the imprudent use of existing drugs; this includes their prescription by relevant healthcare-professionals in inappropriate indications (overuse) or doses (misuse) and their consumption by patients as a form of self-medication. While the literature on the development of novel antimicrobials is extensive, the topic of societal, macro-economic and behavioral aspects influencing AMR have largely been neglected, even though it has been shown that the knowledge and attitudes towards antimicrobials largely influence practices associated with these drugs, both among professionals and laypeople. Although a multitude of national and international educational campaigns have aimed to improve the awareness towards the dangers of AMR, the yield of most of these campaigns have been marginal at best.
Thus, in the present research topic, we aim to enrich the literature (including original research papers, short articles and review papers) pertaining to the perceptions of the public and the knowledge-attitude-practices (KAP) of healthcare-professionals towards the use of antimicrobials and AMR, in addition to the relevance and efficacy of antimicrobial stewardship in community and inpatient healthcare setting. We hope that the results published will aid future interventions and educational campaigns to increase the awareness towards the importance of antibiotics and to reduce their inappropriate use. The Research Topic was supported by the János Bolyai Research Scholarship (BO/00144/20/5) of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.
Thus, in the present research topic, we aim to enrich the literature (including original research papers, short articles and review papers) pertaining to the perceptions of the public and the knowledge-attitude-practices (KAP) of healthcare-professionals towards the use of antimicrobials and AMR, in addition to the relevance and efficacy of antimicrobial stewardship in community and inpatient healthcare setting. We hope that the results published will aid future interventions and educational campaigns to increase the awareness towards the importance of antibiotics and to reduce their inappropriate use. The Research Topic was supported by the János Bolyai Research Scholarship (BO/00144/20/5) of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.
Keywords: Antibiotics, Antimicrobial Resistance, Knowledge-Attitude-Practice, Self-Medication, Healthcare-Professionals, Behavioral Science, Social Medicine, Epidemiology
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