DOI: 10.5061/dryad.66t1g1k1s
title: Knowledge, attitudes and practices relating to antibiotic use and resistance among prescribers from public primary healthcare facilities in Harare, Zimbabwe

description: Overuse of antibiotics is one of the main drivers for antimicrobial
 resistance (AMR). Globally, most antibiotics are prescribed in the
 outpatient setting. This survey aimed to explore attitudes and practices
 with regards to microbiology tests, AMR and antibiotic prescribing among
 healthcare providers at public primary health clinics in Harare, Zimbabwe.
 Methods: This cross-sectional survey was conducted in nine
 primary health clinics located in low-income suburbs of Harare between
 October and December 2020. In Zimbabwe, primary health clinics provide
 nurse-led outpatient care for acute and chronic illnesses. Healthcare
 providers who independently prescribe antibiotics and order diagnostic
 tests were invited to participate. The survey used self-administered
 questionnaires. A five-point Likert scale was used to determined attitudes
 and beliefs. Results: A total of 91 healthcare providers agreed
 to participate in the survey. The majority of participants (62/91, 68%)
 had more than 10 years of work experience. Most participants reported that
 they consider AMR as a global (75/91, 82%) and/or national (81/91, 89%)
 problem, while 52/91 (57%) considered AMR to be a problem in their
 healthcare facilities. A fifth of participants (20/91, 22%) were unsure if
 AMR was a problem in their clinics. Participants felt that the
 availability of national guidelines (89/89, 100%), training sessions on
 antibiotic prescribing (89/89, 100%), and regular audit and feedback on
 prescribing (82/88, 93%) were helpful interventions to improve
 prescribing. Conclusions: These findings support the need for
 increased availability of data on AMR and antibiotic use in primary care.
 Educational interventions, regular audit and feedback, and access to
 practice guidelines may be useful to limit the overuse of antibiotics.
description: The data was collected as part of a survey among healthcare
 providers working in primary care in Harare, Zimbabwe. Healthcare workers
 involved in antibiotic prescribing were invited to participate. The survey
 was conducted between October and December 2020. Data was collected using
 self-administered paper questionnaires. Data from paper questionnaires
 were entered in electronic forms using ODK (Open Data Kit). Data cleaning
 and analysis were done in STATA v.15 and R.  Because
 the number of the survey participants was small, age and sex were removed
 for de-identification purposes.
description: The dataset has a codebook explaining the variables and their
 coding. The questionnaire used for the survey is also included in the
 meta-data submitted alongside the dataset.  Missing
 variables are usually specifically described as missing in the dataset
 (e.g. "not answered"). Some variables present additional
 information usually related to a list variable (e.g. other pathogens
 associated with antimicrobial resistance). If the respondent did not
 provide any information for the free-text question, the cell is blank. One
 question asked about training types (how training was delivered). If no
 training was done, then the additional information on how training was
 delivered is missing.