Table 1.

Expected general practitioner knowledge of rational use of antibiotics.^a

Domain	Expected knowledge
Cognition	Stating public health antibiotics national guidelines Recognizing trade and generic names, and the class of prescribed antimicrobial Understanding the nature and classification of pathogenic microorganisms Understanding the principles of prevention, treatment, and control of infection Understanding the modes of action of antibiotics: broad versus narrow spectrum Understanding the mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance Understanding local microbial-/antimicrobial-susceptibility patterns Understanding of common side effects, including allergy, drug/food interactions, and contraindications of the main classes of antimicrobials Interpreting basic microbiological investigations Interpreting clinical and laboratory biological markers
Skills	Obtaining microbiological cultures or other relevant tests before commencing treatment as necessary Implementing microbiological and other investigations to diagnose and monitor the response to treatment of infections and their complications Choosing in case of prior use of antibiotics when selecting an antibiotic for empiric therapy
Attitude	Understanding the importance of taking microbiological samples for culture before starting antibiotic therapy Understanding the importance of monitoring for common side effects, including allergy, drug/food interactions, and contraindications of the main classes of antimicrobials Responding to the importance of selection advantages

^aThe table content was developed using various sources [36-38].