Table 2.
Student Perceptions of ID Topics That Deserve More Time in the Didactic Curriculum, n = 537a
| Topic | N (%) |
|---|---|
| Intravenous-to-oral antimicrobial transition | 271 (50.5) |
| Biological makers (procalcitonin, C-reactive protein) | 234 (43.6) |
| De-escalation, streamlining, or narrowing spectrum | 228 (42.5) |
| Selecting appropriate empiric therapy | 222 (41.3) |
| Antimicrobial fundamentals (PK, PD, spectrum, adverse reactions, interactions) | 215 (40.0) |
| Disease-specific therapeutics (pneumonia, UTI, skin infections) | 203 (37.8) |
| Antibiotic stewardship | 191 (35.6) |
| Communicating with prescribers about antimicrobial recommendations | 186 (34.6) |
| Optimal duration of antibiotic exposure | 180 (33.5) |
| Point-of-care diagnostic tests (influenza, Group A strep, HIV) | 143 (26.6) |
| Rapid diagnostics of pathogens (PCR, PNA FISH, molecular assays) | 135 (25.1) |
| Calculating or measuring antimicrobial consumption | 104 (19.4) |
| Antibiotic allergies testing and history taking | 81 (15.1) |
| Nonhuman antimicrobial consumption (livestock feed and topical application on crops) | 81 (15.1) |
| Concept of collateral damage | 78 (14.5) |
| Mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance | 76 (14.2) |
| Relationship between antimicrobial use and microbial resistance | 63 (11.7) |
| Consequences of antimicrobial resistance | 53 (9.9) |
| Epidemiology of bacterial resistance | 53 (9.9) |
| Infection prevention and control precautions | 40 (7.4) |
Abbreviations: ID, infectious diseases; FISH, fluorescent in situ hybridization; PCR, polymerase chain reaction; PD, pharmacodynamics; PK, pharmacokinetics; PNA, peptide nucleic acid; UTI, urinary tract infection.
aData are presented as frequency and percentages.