Only less than one-third of healthcare professionals had good practice towards antimicrobial stewardship due to unfavorable attitude: a facility-based study

Abstract Background Antimicrobial resistance is one of the global public health threats to meeting sustainable development goals. Antimicrobial stewardship practice is the recommended approach to prevent antimicrobial resistance. Credible evidence on the antimicrobial stewardship practice among healthcare professionals is scarce in Ethiopia, particularly in the study area. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the practice of antimicrobial stewardship among healthcare professionals and its associated factors. Methods Institution-based cross-sectional study design was employed from April 1 to May 1, 2021, among healthcare professionals in public hospitals of Bahir Dar City. A total of 403 healthcare professionals were included in the study using a stratified simple random sampling method. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 23.0. Descriptive analysis was carried out to determine the frequencies and percentages of the data. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression models were used to identify factors associated with the outcome variable. Results The study showed that overall good practice of health care professionals towards antimicrobial stewardship was 117 (30.3%). The unfavorable attitude toward antimicrobial stewardship (AOR: 2.46, 95% CI: 1.46–4.50), monthly salary > 7000 birrs (AOR: 2.32(1.50–5.28), and being male gender (AOR: 1.80, CI: 1.02–3.19) were factors significantly associated with antimicrobial stewardship practice. Conclusions The study showed that AMS practice was low. Earn higher monthly salary, favorable attitude towards antimicrobial stewardship, and being male gender were higher odds of practicing antimicrobial stewardship. Therefore, developing favorable attitudes, improving monthly income, and encouraging and training female healthcare professionals are the area of intervention to improve antimicrobial stewardship.