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Background Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is caused by inappropriate use of antimicrobials. India's high antibiotic use contributes significantly to AMR. Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs (AMSPs) are crucial for optimizing antimicrobial use. Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP) studies are essential for evaluating healthcare professionals' beliefs and conduct regarding AMR and AMSPs. Materials and methods A cross-sectional study at Saveetha Medical College and Hospital evaluated doctors' knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding AMR and stewardship programs. The study involved 202 participants, including faculty members, postgraduates, and interns. Results The study involved 202 participants, with residents being the majority at 51.4%, followed by faculty at 26.7% and interns at 21.7%. Faculty members showed the highest overall knowledge, followed by residents and interns. Despite possessing knowledge, practitioners did not consistently implement their knowledge in their daily practices, with a statistically significant difference of p < 0.01. There was a substantial disparity in attitude between the departments, as evidenced by a statistically significant p-value of less than 0.01. Conclusion Positive trends in knowledge and attitudes exist, but there are areas for improvement in translating attitudes into clinical practices. There is a significant disparity among faculty members, residents, and interns, highlighting the urgent need for interventions to bridge the gap. Implementing antibiotic prescribing guidelines at the institutional level and enhancing knowledge, attitudes, and practices among healthcare professionals are crucial to addressing AMR., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Institutional Ethics Committee, Saveetha Medical College Hospital issued approval 159/06/2023/IEC/SMCH. The study was conducted after obtaining ethical clearance from our hospital's institutional review board. The participants in the questionnaire referenced in this article provided consent in accordance with ethical standards and procedures. They were informed about the study's purpose, their role, and their rights as research subjects. It's important to note that for this particular study, the requirement for written consent was obtained and waived. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Balaji et al.)

Background Anti-microbial resistance (AMR) is an ongoing epidemic contributing to extremely high healthcare costs and hospital admissions. Inappropriate dispensing of antibiotics is one of the root causes of AMR. Hence, our study aimed to assess antibiotic-dispensing patterns and AMR awareness among pharmacists from South-Central India. Methodology This cross-sectional observational study was conducted over a period of two months from June to July 2023. The pharmacies in urban and semi-urban areas of coastal and central districts of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh were surveyed. Data were collected using a predesigned questionnaire for antibiotic-dispensing patterns and awareness of AMR, as approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee of Aster Ramesh Hospital, Vijayawada, India. The data were collected and analyzed descriptively by cross-tabulation. Results Among the 389 pharmacies that responded, 78% ( n = 303) were dispensing antibiotics over the counter (OTC) and 22% ( n = 86) were dispensing antibiotics only for valid prescriptions. It was found that antibiotics were dispensed OTC for common ailments such as the common cold, cough, sore throat, nasal congestion, fever, diarrhea, and urinary tract infections. As per the World Health Organization-recommended Access, Watch, and Reserve (AWaRe) criterion, antibiotics under the Watch group such as macrolides (azithromycin), fluoroquinolones (ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin, levofloxacin, and ofloxacin) and third-generation cephalosporins (cefixime and cefpodoxime) were found to be widely dispensed OTC. The most common antibiotics dispensed OTC were azithromycin (54.1%), amoxicillin (47.5%), cefixime (40%), amoxicillin + clavulanic acid (15.2%), ofloxacin (13.5%), ciprofloxacin (10%), and doxycycline (6.6%). Among the OTC dispensers, 82.5% ( n = 250) were unaware of AMR and 17.5% were partially aware. However, 57% ( n = 49) were unaware of AMR and its effects, in pharmacies dispensing antibiotics for valid prescriptions. Conclusion Our findings aggregate evidence on the alarming trend of inappropriate antibiotic-dispensing patterns that may further exacerbate AMR. Strict regulatory enforcement and periodical monitoring to regulate antibiotic dispensing to control unethical dispensing are inevitably necessary., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2023, Dharanindra et al.)