The knowledge of antimicrobial resistance: a survey in the community pharmacies of north-west Italy

Background: Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) occurs in nature, but the inappropriate and excessive use of antimicrobials, and poor infection prevention, have all contributed to the increasing incidence of this phenomenon. As a result of AMR, infections become harder to treat, spread more easily and cause more severe illness and deaths. Objective: Community pharmacies, thanks to their widespread distribution, local accessibility and extended opening hours, could play a significant role in the fight against AMR. To test this hypothesis we designed the present study with two objectives. Firstly, to evaluate AMR knowledge and behaviours in a sample of community pharmacy customers in the northwest of Piedmont. Secondly, to obtain information to understand the potential role of the pharmacist. Methods: A survey to evaluate the AMR knowledge and behaviours of pharmacy customers was carried out. The work was designed as a survey. Data was collected in 2020-2021 in 46 pharmacies by means of a face-to-face interview using a questionnaire. Each pharmacist attended a training course regarding the administration of the questionnaire to avoid any bias. The course also aimed to enhance pharmacists’ communication skills to give evidence-based AMR-related advice to customers. Results: 1,883 subjects were interviewed. The investigation showed that there was a significant lack of awareness of AMR among the study population. Only 36.59% of respondents were able to identify the correct definition of this term, the rest of the interviewees had little or no knowledge of the problem and the consequences of this condition. The results also suggest that a health education programme might be helpful in achieving significant results: in the sample, those who demonstrated a previous knowledge of the phenomenon, also demonstrated the best behaviour. Conclusions: Community pharmacists could be a useful resource for assessing and improving AMR knowledge and behaviour and potentially take an active role in enhancing information campaigns. This is especially important for elderly populations who are the least informed and are the main users of community pharmacies.