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Introduction: Antimicrobial resistance (RAM) is one of the top 10 global threats to public health. Medical undergraduate students in their training play an important role for its rational use


Objective: to systematize the investigations that evaluate the knowledge and practices on antibiotics and bacterial resistance in medical students.


Methodology: A systematic review of the literature was carried out following the stages of identification, screening, selection and inclusion consigned in the PRISMA guide.


Results: A total of 20 studies were obtained for the quantitative synthesis corresponding to a sample of 13,997 medical students. 39.5% of these consider antibiotics as an effective treatment for viral infections, 35.9% have self-medicated with antibiotics, and 49.1% reported prescribing them recently.


Conclusion: The results of this study carried out in 13 different countries and with 13,997 medical students revealed that this population has poor knowledge and bad practices about antibiotics. The use of these drugs for diseases in which they are not indicated, the interruption of the prescribed regimen and self-medication were frequent problems.

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