Knowledge and Attitude on Antimicrobial Resistance among Nurses working at a Teaching Hospital in Pokhara

Abstract

Introduction: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global health concernand it is estimated that by 2050,AMR could cause 1.91 million deaths each year. It threatens the progress of modern medicine by making infections harder to treat and complicating other medical procedures.Thus, this study aimed to assess the knowledge and attitude regarding antimicrobial resistance among nurses working at Manipal teaching hospital in Pokhara.

Methods: A crosssectional research design was carried among 158 nurses who were working on different departments of Manipal teaching hospital.Nonprobability convenient sampling was used to select the sample.Data was collected after informed consent through structured self- administer questionnaires from 18thJuly to 8thAugust 2024.Descriptive statistics and inferential statisticstests were performed to analyze the data.

Results: The results showed that, 73.40% had adequate knowledgewhile more than half(52.50%)of the participants had positive attitude on antimicrobial resistance. There was significant association between level ofknowledgeand working area(p<0.001).However, there was no significant association of nurse’s knowledge with regards to their age, working experience, professional qualification, source of information, training related to antimicrobial resistance.

Conclusions: The study concluded that nearly three-fourths of nurses had adequate knowledge and more than half had a positive attitude regarding AMR. The significant relationship between nurses' level of knowledge and their working area highlights the need to empower nurses through structured interventions in mitigating the growing threat of AMR and improving patient care outcomes.