O-38 A knowledge, attitudes and practices survey amongst veterinarians in Barbados on antibiotic usage, resistance and antimicrobial stewardship.

Methods:  A cross-sectional study was performed in Barbados between February to June 2023, to identify the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of registered veterinarians in Barbados towards antibiotic prescribing, antibiotic resistance and antimicrobial stewardship using a pre-tested 69-point structured questionnaire distributed via SurveyMonkey. Veterinarians were contacted via email through the Barbados Veterinary Association. Survey questions were developed based on pre-existing questionnaires from surveys conducted in Australia and Nigeria respectively.

Results:  22/44 (50%) veterinarians responded with 8 males, 13 females and 1 undisclosed. Most respondents (88.9%) believed that Barbados has a serious problem with antimicrobial resistance. Only 26% of respondents were knowledgeable regarding antibiotic resistance and antimicrobial stewardship where >10 years of experience culminated in better knowledge. Knowledgeable veterinarians have better attitudes towards antibiotic use. Barriers to implementing antimicrobial stewardship practices included client pressure (72.2%), time constraints (68.9%), lack of awareness of antimicrobial stewardship (59.5%) and understanding antibiotics (50%). Antimicrobial treatment failure was noted by 86% of veterinarians with Staphylococcus spp (12) being the most common pathogen. There was a strong correlation between prescribing and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (r=0.85), especially among large animal veterinarians (r=0.92). Most (71%) respondents did not participate in continuing education sessions on antimicrobial resistance and stewardship over the last 3 years.

Conclusion:  Increased education, support and resources are needed for veterinarians in Barbados to implement antimicrobial stewardship practices which will reduce the frequency of antimicrobial resistance in animals.