KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES, AND PRACTICES (KAP) OF COMMUNITY PHARMACISTS IN KARACHI REGARDING ANTIMICROBIAL STEWARDSHIP (AMS) AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH THEIR PERCEIVED COMPETENCE IN PATIENT COUNSELING
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63735/baqa.v26i2.34-40Keywords:
Antimicrobial Stewardship, Community Pharmacists, Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice, Professional Competence, Pakistan, Drug Resistance, MicrobialAbstract
Background: Antimicrobial resistance poses a severe threat to global public health, with community pharmacists serving as crucial frontline defenders. While their knowledge and practices are often studied, the psychological drivers of their effectiveness, particularly their perceived competence in stewardship counseling, remain poorly understood.
Objective: This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of community pharmacists in Karachi regarding antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) and to identify the key predictors of their perceived competence in patient counseling.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 165 community pharmacists using a validated, self-administered questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression to determine the associations between KAP scores and perceived competence.
Results: The analysis revealed that while knowledge and practices showed positive associations, only attitudes emerged as a statistically significant predictor of perceived competence (β = 0.289, p = 0.044). This indicates that a pharmacist's confidence is more strongly influenced by their underlying beliefs and professional mindset than by their knowledge base alone.
Conclusion: The findings suggest that to fully leverage community pharmacists in the fight against antimicrobial resistance, interventions must move beyond traditional education. Training programs should be redesigned to actively cultivate positive attitudes, strong professional identity, and communication resilience, thereby empowering pharmacists with the confidence needed to be effective stewards.
References
Qudah T, Alameri MA, Alqudah A, Al Meslamani A, Iqbal S. Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP) of community pharmacists regarding antibiotic use and resistance: a crosssectional study from the United Arab Emirates. Int J Environment Healt Res. 2024;34(12):4177-89. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09603123.2024.2339534.
Mufwambi W, Musuku K, Hangoma J, Muzondo NV, Mweetwa L, Mudenda S. Community pharmacists’ knowledge and practices towards antimicrobial stewardship: findings and Corresponding Author: RamnaShafique, Fourth-year medical student,Ziauddin Medical College.Email: gulfstaye@gmail.com 39 Vol. 26, No.2, July - December, 2025 Baqai J. Health Sci. implications. JAC-Antimicrobial Resistan. 2024;6(5):dlae176. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jacamr/dlae176.
Babafemi EO, Omasaki SK, Mogoko E, McCabe PG. Knowledge, Attitude and Practices (KAP) of Antimicrobial Usage in in Kisii County, Kenya. medRxiv. 2025:2025-01. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.01.26.25321155.
Mudenda S, Simukoko N, Mohamed S. Knowledge, attitude and practices regarding antimicrobial use and resistance among community members of Mtendere township in Lusaka, Zambia: findings and implications on antimicrobial stewardship. Int J Basic ClinPharmacol. 2024;13(3):315-21. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18203/2319-2003.ijbcp20240985
Roberts AA, Das I, Akodu BA, Aderemi JO, Ajudua SC, Osuagwu CS, et al. Antimicrobial resistance and stewardship: What do pharmacists know and practice in a major Nigerian tertiary health facility: A cross-sectional study. J Clinic Sci. 2024;21(2):78-87. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/jcls.jcls_88_23
Mthombeni TC, Burger JR, Lubbe MS, Julyan M. Public hospital pharmacists’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices for antibiotic stewardship implementation in Limpopo Province, South Africa. J Pharmaceutic Healt Care and Sci. 2024;10(1):9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40780-024-00331-3.
Mufwambi W, Musuku K, Hangoma J, Muzondo NV, Mweetwa L, Mudenda S. Community pharmacists’ knowledge and practices towards antimicrobial stewardship: findings and implications. JAC-Antimicrobial Resistan. 2024;6(5):dlae176. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jacamr/dlae176.
Afzal S, Khan FU, Aqeel MT, Ullah M, Bajwa M, Akhtar M, et al. Impact of a pharmacist-led educational intervention on knowledge, attitude, and practice toward the rational use of antibiotics among healthcare workers in a secondary care hospital in Punjab, Pakistan. Frontiers in Pharmacol. 2024;14:1327576. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2023.1327576.
Hafez H, Rakab MS, Elshehaby A, Gebreel AI, Hany M, BaniAmer M, et al. Pharmacies and use of antibiotics: a cross-sectional study in 19 Arab countries. Antimicrob Resistan & Infection Cont. 2024;13(1):104-109. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13756-024-01458-6
Abdelkarim OA, Abubakar U, Hussain MA, Abadi AE, Mohamed AO, Osman W, et al. Knowledge, perception, and self-confidence of antibiotic resistance, appropriate antibiotic therapy, and antibiotic stewardship among undergraduate pharmacy students in Sudan. Infection Drug Resistan. 2024; 31 (1):935-49 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2147/IDR.S435190.
Saleem Z, Moore CE, Kalungia AC, Schellack N, Ogunleye O, Chigome A, et al. Status and implications of the knowledge, attitudes and practices towards AWaRe antibiotic use, resistance and stewardship among low-and middle-income countries. JAC-Antimicrobial Resistan. 2025;7(2):dlaf033. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jacamr/dlaf076
Bodke AV, Mujeeb MM, Pardeshi ML, Dabhade SS, Tiwari SA, Gawari NC, et al. Knowledge, attitude, and practice about antimicrobial stewardship concepts among practitioners. Int J Basic Clinic Pharmacol. 2024;13(5):679- 681. DOI: https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/620835913.pdf
Abd El Azeem Khalaf YM, Gad ZM, Arafa MA, Abdou MS. Awareness and perception of antimicrobial stewardship program among healthcare professionals in the hospitals of ministry of health and population, Egypt: antimicrobial stewardship toolkit survey. Antimicrob Resistan Infect Contr. 2025;14(1):13-18. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13756025-01525-6
Mudenda S, Chabalenge B, Daka V, Jere E, Sefah IA, Wesangula E, et al. Knowledge, awareness and practices of healthcare workers regarding antimicrobial use, resistance and stewardship in Zambia: a multi-facility crosssectional study. JAC-Antimicrobial Resistan. 2024;6(3):dlae076. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jacamr/dlae10640 Vol. 26, No.2, July - December, 2025 Baqai J. Health Sci.
Tahir MF, Wasee Ullah R, Wang J, Dukpa K, Zaheer MU, Bahadur SU, et al. Evaluation of Antimicrobial Usage Supply Chain and Monitoring in the Livestock and Poultry Sector of Pakistan. Veterinary Sci. 2025;12(3):215-220. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci12030215
Ndagire R, Obuku EA, Segawa I, Atim F, Lwanira CN, Wangi RN, et al. Knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding antibiotic use and antimicrobial resistance among urban slum dwellers in Uganda. Antimicrob Resistan Infection Contr. 2025;14(1):12-18. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1186/s13756-025-01517-6.
Al-Kubaisi KA, Abdel-Qader DH, Alzoubi KH, Abduelkarem AR, Al Mazrouei N, Beshir SA, et al. Community pharmacists’ cultural competence and awareness in healthcare delivery: a cross-sectional study on perceptions, practices, and demographic influences in the United Arab Emirates. J Pharmaceutic Policy Pract. 2025;18(1):2552423. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/20523211.2025.2552423
Adnan S, Zafar K, Khan FR, Ullah R. Bibliometric study on the literature related to dental research and education. J Pakist Medic Assoc. 2022;72(1):84-89. DOI: https://ecommons.aku.edu/pakistan_fhs_mc_surg_dent_oral_maxillofac/198
Shah Y, Haq N, Riaz S, Tahir M, Mohammad F, Saood M. Knowledge, attitude and practice regarding hepatitis B in nurses working in different hospitals of Quetta city, Pakistan. Int J Nurs Critic Care. 2020;6(1):24-34. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Aqeel-Nasim/publication/346728486_International_Journal_of_Nursing_Critical_Care_Knowledge_Attitude_and_Practice_Regarding_Hepatitis_B_in_Nurses_Working_in_Different_Hospitals_of_Quetta_City.pdf. [last accessed on 27-10-2025].
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Baqai Journal of Health Sciences
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
