How Dutch orthopedic healthcare professionals perceive antibiotic resistance: A mixed-methods application of the mental model approach

Healthcare professionals must act to curb antibiotic resistance (ABR), one of today's greatest threats to global health. This study applied the mental model approach to understanding perceptions of ABR among different Dutch orthopedic healthcare professionals. The expert model (step 1) was based on evidence-based ABR information and expert interviews ( = 3). This model prompted the step 2 questionnaire to inquire about perceived causes, consequences, and actions related to ABR (open-ended, = 12). In the step 3 questionnaire (Likert-scales, = 55), participants rated the impact of causes of ABR, the likelihood and severity of consequences of ABR, and the effectiveness of actions against ABR. Step 3 showed that no specific causes, consequences, or actions are perceived to strongly outweigh the others. Dutch orthopedic healthcare professionals perceive the causes of ABR to be mostly external, the consequences of ABR to be abstract and the most effective actions against ABR to be performed by others.