Abstract Background Rising incidents of antibiotic resistance and development of multidrug resistance bacteria is an increasing concern in Jordan. Antimicrobial stewardship programs are of paramount importance in containing this problem. It is important to be aware of healthcare practitioners’ view of antimicrobial stewardship programs and how it influences their choice of antibiotics. Objective To assess Jordanian practitioners’ perceptions and practices towards antimicrobial stewardship programs. Methods This was a multicenter, cross sectional study in which physicians and clinical pharmacists were approached to fill out a close-ended structured questionnaire covering aspects related to antimicrobial stewardship program perceptions and practices. Main outcome measure Comparison of median scores (interquartile ranges). Results A total of 286 participants were enrolled in the study. There was an overall positive perception towards antimicrobial stewardship program, while practices related to this element was still suboptimal. Additional comparison of the overall perception scores among different demographic characteristics showed that longer years of practice, postgraduate studies, and practice in academic sectors yielded higher perception scores (p value= 0.0335, 0.0328, and 0.0007 respectively). Conclusion There is an imminent need to enhance Jordanian practitioners’ knowledge about antimicrobial stewardship programs. A clear recognition of integral antimicrobial stewardship programs’ components must be coupled with highlight changes in current practices related to antimicrobials usage and prescription. Keywords: Antibiotic, Stewardship, Jordan, Clinical Pharmacist, Physician, Perception, Practice

Abstract: Aim: Coronavirus disease-2019 is an emerging disease that is threatening the world with a rapid increase in cases and deaths since it was first identified in December 2019. Our study aimed to assess the knowledge, practice, and attitude toward COVID-19 among physicians in Jordan and Palestine. Method: This is a cross-sectional study using an online survey conducted in April, 2020. A 36-items survey was developed and invitations were sent to physicians in different health sectors using social media. Results: A total of 454 physicians participated in this study with a mean age 36.2  10.8 years. The mean score of basic knowledge was 4.4  0.8, and there were significant statistical differences between basic knowledge mean scores among physicians in different professional degrees and physicians in different health sectors (P=0.0315, P=0.0137 respectively). Participants showed appropriate practical measures toward COVID-19, where the mean scores of indications for PCR test, indications for home quarantine, self-protection measures, and measures if physician self-suspected of COVID-19 were 5.4  1.4, 5.0  1.0, 6.1  1.1, 9.9 1.1 respectively. The mean score of attitudes toward COVID-19 were 41.5  3.3 and significantly related to the age and different experience years (P=0.0022, P=0.0077 respectively). Conclusion: As the global threat of COVID-19 continues to emerge, it is critical to improve the knowledge, practice, and attitudes of physicians worldwide.