Antibiotic Use: Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of a Southern Community in Lebanon

Hijazi, Ayat R A; Jammoul, Zeinab; Fares, S.; Kassak, Kassem

doi:10.21601/ejeph/11111

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 31 publications

(35 reference statements)

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“…The business-orientation of drug dispensers is evident in their practices of selling without prescription even incomplete courses of antibiotics. Existing research likewise documented that financial gains motivate drug dispensers to dispense ABs without prescription in Tanzania and other LMICs [21,31,[39][40][41][42]. As pointed out earlier in this paper, we argue that the business-oriented motives of drug dispensers lead to inappropriate dispensing practices.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 61%

Practices and motives behind antibiotics provision in drug outlets in Tanzania: A qualitative study

Ndaki,

Mwanga,

Mushi

et al. 2023

PLoS ONE

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Dispensing antibiotics without prescription is among the major factors leading to antimicrobial resistance. Dispensing of antibiotics without prescription has negative impact at the individual and societal level leading to poor patient outcomes, and increased risks of resistant bacteria facilitated by inappropriate choice of antibiotics doses/courses. Antimicrobial resistance is a global public health threat which is projected to cause 10 million deaths by 2050 if no significant actions are taken to address this problem This study explored the practices and motives behind dispensing of antibiotics without prescription among community drug outlets in Tanzania. Finding of this study provides more strategies to antibiotics stewardship intervention. In-depth interviews with 28 drug dispensers were conducted for three months consecutively between November 2019 and January 2020 in 12 community pharmacies and 16 Accredited Drug Dispensing Outlets (ADDOs) in the Mwanza, Kilimanjaro and Mbeya regions of Tanzania. Transcripts were coded and analyzed thematically using NVivo12 software. Majority of dispensers admitted to providing antibiotics without prescriptions, selling incomplete courses of antibiotics and not giving detailed instructions to customers on how to use the drugs. These practices were motivated by several factors including customers’ pressure/customers’ demands, business orientation-financial gain of drug dispensers, and low purchasing power of patients/customers. It is important to address the motives behind the unauthorized dispensing antibiotics. On top of the existing regulation and enforcement, we recommend the government to empower customers with education and purchasing power of drugs which can enhance the dispensers adherence to the dispensing regulations. Furthermore, we recommend ethnographic research to inform antibiotic stewardship interventions going beyond awareness raising, education and advocacy campaigns. This will address structural drivers of AMR such as poverty and inadequate government health services, and the disconnect between public messaging and/or policy and the public itself.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 61%

Practices and motives behind antibiotics provision in drug outlets in Tanzania: A qualitative study

Ndaki,

Mwanga,

Mushi

et al. 2023

PLoS ONE

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“…Based on group comparisons in attitude items, our study revealed that TRNC citizens preferred a stricter control of antibiotic use than RoC citizens did. In a similar study in Lebanon, the authors reported that almost half of the respondents (48.4%) expected their doctors to prescribe antibiotics to treat a common cold, with 15.4% of these respondents having asked their physicians to prescribe antibiotics when they suffered from common cold symptoms [33]. In a meta-analysis conducted in Australia and Sweden, overall, 28% of respondents indicated that they would go to see another doctor when their (first) doctor did not prescribe or provide antibiotics.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Antibiotics Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviours among the Population Living in Cyprus

et al. 2023

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This study investigated the knowledge, attitudes and behaviours towards antibiotics among the general public living in the Republic of Cyprus (RoC) and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) by using an online questionnaire. Differences were examined using independent samples t-tests, chi-square tests, Mann–Whitney U tests and Spearman’s rho. In total, 519 individuals completed the survey (RoC = 267, TRNC = 252), with an average age of 32.7, and 52.2% were female. Most citizens correctly identified paracetamol (TRNC = 93.7%, RoC = 53.9%) and ibuprofen (TRNC = 70.2%, RoC = 47.6%) as non-antibiotic medications. A substantial proportion thought antibiotics could treat viral infections, such as a cold (TRNC = 16.3%, RoC = 40.8%) or the flu (TRNC = 21.4%, RoC = 50.4%). Most participants understood that bacteria can become resistant to antibiotics (TRNC = 71.4%, RoC = 64.4%), that unnecessary use can lead to drug ineffectiveness (TRNC = 86.1%, RoC = 72.3%) and that they should always complete the course of antibiotics (TRNC = 85.7%, RoC = 64.0%). Positive attitudes towards antibiotics correlated negatively with knowledge in both samples, indicating that the more people know, the less positive their attitudes towards their use. The RoC appears to have tighter controls of over-the-counter (OTC) sales of antibiotics than TRNC. This study reveals that different communities can have varying levels of knowledge, attitudes and perceptions about antibiotic use. Tighter enforcement of the OTC regulations, educational efforts and media campaigns are needed for enhancing prudent antibiotic use on the island.

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“…This misconception may be due to respondents not understanding the difference between viral and bacterial infections and the indications for antibiotic treatment. A study conducted by Hijazi et al (2021) in Lebanon, showed that 60.4% of respondents believed that antibiotics were effective against viruses [41]. Likewise, studies in China and the United States revealed that 79% of respondents in China and 57% of respondents in the United States believed that antibiotics were able to cure viral infections [42,43].…”

Section: K8mentioning

confidence: 99%

Knowledge and Beliefs about the Use of Antibiotics in Society: A Questionnaire Study of Gorontalo Province, Indonesia

Rasdianah,

Akuba,

Nurrohwinta Djuwarno

2023

J Sains Farm Klin

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A lack of public understanding of the use of antibiotics has the potential to cause inappropriate use of antibiotics. The research aims to obtain information about the knowledge and beliefs of respondents regarding the use of antibiotics in Gorontalo Province. The research was conducted in various public places in four regions in Gorontalo Province with a population of 907,389 people. Sampling was carried out randomly (n=384), with inclusion criteria namely being over 18 years old, having used antibiotics in the last year, and being willing to take part in the research. Respondents who were unable to communicate in Indonesian were excluded from this study. The instruments used were demographic characteristics data collection sheets, knowledge and belief questionnaires.ata was collected using a questionnaire and the results were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Of the 384 respondents, 55.99% of respondents knew that antibiotics must be purchased with a doctor's prescription and that various types of antibiotics can be used for one type of bacterial infection (70.31%), antibiotics could be taken twice at the next dose (63.80%), accelerated recovery (60.16%), its use was stopped when symptoms disappeared (56.25%), the method of use was the same as other drugs (52.86) and effectively treated viruses (51.82). %), antibiotics can cause allergies (52.34%), resistance (59.38%), and bacterial resistance can increase if their use is not appropriate (48.96%). The results of the correlation analysis showed that there was a significant and unidirectional relationship between the two (rho=0.467). Respondents have adequate knowledge about antibiotics, resistance, and side effects but have inaccurate knowledge about the effectiveness of antibiotics for viral infections. Respondents have sufficient confidence that antibiotics cannot be obtained without a prescription, do not treat all diseases, and can cause resistance and side effects..

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Antibiotic Use: Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of a Southern Community in Lebanon

Cited by 6 publications

References 31 publications

Practices and motives behind antibiotics provision in drug outlets in Tanzania: A qualitative study

Practices and motives behind antibiotics provision in drug outlets in Tanzania: A qualitative study

Antibiotics Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviours among the Population Living in Cyprus

Knowledge and Beliefs about the Use of Antibiotics in Society: A Questionnaire Study of Gorontalo Province, Indonesia

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