Table 3.
Belief and attitude scores regarding the judicious use of antibiotics among physicians and pharmacists pre- and post-interventiona
| Physicians | Pharmacists | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-intervention n = 237 | Post-intervention n = 289 | Pre-intervention n = 483 | Post-intervention n = 596 | |
| Mean ± SD | Mean ± SD | Mean ± SD | Mean ± SD | |
| Physicians should never prescribe antibiotics when they are unnecessary | 4.8 ± 0.7 | 4.7 ± 0.7 | 4.5 ± 1.1 | 4.6 ± 1.0 |
| Too many people are treated with antibiotics when not necessary | 3.5 ± 1.5 | 3.3 ± 1.7 | 3.7 ± 1.4 | 3.8 ± 1.5 |
| Overuse of antibiotics can make bacteria more resistant to antibiotics | 4.6 ± 0.9 | 4.7 ± 1.0 | 3.9 ± 1.7 | 4.1 ± 1.5 |
| Giving an antibiotic to a patient with cold symptoms can prevent an infection from occurring | 3.9 ± 1.4 | 4.3 ± 1.2 | 3.5 ± 1.4 | 3.6 ± 1.6 |
| It is worth trying an antibiotic when someone has cold symptoms for 5 days | 3.9 ± 1.2 | 4.3 ± 1.1 | 2.8 ± 1.6 | 3.7 ± 1.5 |
| Using antibiotics frequently doesn’t make them less effective | 4.5 ± 1.2 | 4.7 ± 0.9 | 3.8 ± 1.6 | 4.4 ± 1.3 |
| Treatment with antibiotics is necessary when nasal discharge turns from yellow to green in color | 1.8 ± 1.2 | 3.2 ± 1.6 | 1.4 ± 1.2 | 3.0 ± 1.7 |
| Antibiotics help cold symptoms clear up more quickly | 4.3 ± 1.1 | 4.6 ± 0.9 | 3.4 ± 1.5 | 4.1 ± 1.4 |
| Antibiotics are helpful in treating colds | 4.2 ± 1.1 | 4.7 ± 0.7 | 3.2 ± 1.5 | 4.0 ± 1.4 |
| Overall scores | 3.8 ± 0.5 | 4.0 ± 0.7 | 3.3 ± 0.9 | 4.0 ± 1.2 |
aAll responses ranged from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree.” For questions where agreement supported proper antibiotic use, a response of “strongly agree” was scored a 5 and “strongly disagree” was scored a 0. For questions where disagreement supported proper antibiotic use, a response of “strongly disagree” was scored a 5 and “strongly agree” was scored a 0.