Knowledge and Perception of Resistance to Antimicrobials in French Healthcare Facilities

BACKGROUND The landscape of antibiotic resistance in hospital has dramatically evolved over the past 10 years, with rapid change of multidrug resistant organisms (MDROs), i.e. decreasing rate of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and increasing prevalence of Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) - producing Enterobacteriaceae in the community and the hospital, emergence of highly resistant bacteria (HRB) especially vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) and carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) that are most often imported for foreign countries.

Schematically, the control of bacterial resistance is based on the modulation of antibiotics prescription and on the interruption of HRB or MDRO cross-transmission. Many recommendations have recently been issued for the management of patients carrying HRB or MDRO, but their level of knowledge and implementation in health care facilities (HCF) remains unclear.

Knowledge and perception of resistance to antimicrobials in among health care workers (HCW) are influenced by individual and societal determinants, professional environment and personal experience. The willing of improving antimicrobial resistance awareness and changing behaviors requires an accurate overview of the knowledge and perceptions of the HCW within the French health care settings.

OBJECTIVES The main objective is to determine the level of antimicrobial resistance knowledge among HCWs in France.

The secondary objectives are: 1) to determine the antimicrobial resistance perception of HCW in France; 2) to measure the impact of HCF organisation and the perception on the knowledge of HCW; 3) to identify and analyse the drivers and barriers to change.