Antibiotic Resistance vs. Risk Perception: Connecting Understanding to Action

In the fight against antibiotic resistance, pharmacy students hold a crucial role as the future stewards of the health system. However, a study of over 4,000 students across seven Middle Eastern nations reveals a concerning gap between their knowledge about antibiotic resistance and their personal practices.

Many students fail to perceive antibiotic resistance as an immediate, personal threat. This lack of understanding is partly due to the need to evolve the message: antibiotic resistance isn't just about future patients—it's about you, your family, your health, right now.

To bridge this knowledge-behaviour gap, education programs must adopt a comprehensive, interactive, and real-world integrated approach. This strategy effectively reshapes risk perception among pharmacy students, improving their knowledge, awareness, and responsible attitudes towards antibiotic use and resistance.

Effective strategies include structured educational workshops, pre- and post-intervention assessments, real-world application projects, and interdisciplinary education. Workshops combine theoretical lectures with practical clinical case scenarios, while assessments measure improvements in knowledge and risk perception. Real-world projects allow students to collaborate with healthcare teams, linking classroom knowledge to actual healthcare challenges. Interdisciplinary education, involving faculties from various sectors, promotes a broader understanding of antibiotic resistance dynamics.

Incorporating local cultural contexts in education may help shift public attitudes towards antibiotic use. Highlighting personal vulnerability in AMR education can make the threat more real and urgent for students. Mentorship from senior professionals can influence how students approach real-world scenarios.

Pharmacy schools could partner with ministries of health to create student-led outreach projects that inform communities about safe antibiotic use. Faculty-led initiatives and student-led awareness drives can instill a culture of accountability.

However, the real driver for behaviour change might be risk perception, not just education. Policy shapes behaviour just as much as education does, with stricter pharmaceutical laws leading to fewer instances of self-medication. Overprescription, self-medication, and lax regulation are chief causes of antibiotic resistance in the regions studied.

Embedding community engagement into pharmacy curricula could empower students to translate awareness into action. Normalizing difficult conversations and challenging unnecessary prescriptions are essential in building a culture of stewardship.

In summary, education programs reshape risk perception by combining theoretical knowledge, practical case studies, real-world project engagement, and interdisciplinary collaboration, leading to enhanced awareness of AMR risks and promoting responsible antibiotic use among pharmacy students. The solution isn't just to teach more, but to teach differently, leveraging the psychology of risk perception, integrating community engagement, tightening regulations, and normalizing stewardship behaviour.

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