Assessing the Impact of a School Intervention to Promote Students’ Knowledge and Practices on Correct Antibiotic Use

Abstract

The clinical efficacy of antibiotics depends on their correct use. Widespread ignorance and inappropriate attitudes to antibiotic use have been identified among consumers. In order to improve the knowledge of middle-school students on antibiotics and their correct use, 82 ninth-grade students were enrolled in a teaching activity. The teaching activity consisted of a slide show presentation followed by discussion in a regular class. To evaluate the impact of the teaching activity the students were asked to answer a questionnaire before and after the activity. This study aimed: (1) to evaluate knowledge on the use of antibiotics in students of two schools in the north of Portugal and (2) to evaluate the efficacy of the school intervention in improving students’ knowledge on correct antibiotic use. We found lack of knowledge among students regarding antibiotic spectra and indications and incorrect attitudes in the pre-test. Significant increases in knowledge were observed after implementation of the teaching activity. Knowledge of the correct use of antibiotics for bacterial diseases rather than viral diseases rose from 43% to 76% in the post-test (p < 0.01). Knowledge of the risk of bacterial resistance to antibiotics from their incorrect use rose from 48% to 74% in the post-test (p < 0.05). We believe that it is important to reinforce the teaching activities on microbiology and antibiotic use at the middle school level.

Effectiveness of Pharmacists’ Intervention in Improving Patients Knowledge and Attitude Towards Antibiotic Usage in Klinik Kesihatan Seremban, Malaysia

“…The statements are "when I get a cold, I will take antibiotics to help me get better quickly" with 51.3% (n=195) and "I expect antibiotic to be prescribed by my doctor if I suffer from common cold symptoms", 51.1% (n=194). However, the percentage of incorrect responses for both the statements are slightly lower as compared to a study done in Shah Alam (Davies et al, 2010) and Putrajaya (Azevedo et al, 2013) for the second statement but higher for the first statement in Shah Alam.…”

“…In another knowledge statement, 67.4% of the respondents had a misconception that antibiotic can be used to eradicate viral infections which are relatively high as compared to study done in Sweden which is 26.8% (Qamar et al, 2014), Shah Alam 40.5% (Davies et al, 2010) and Penang 67.2% (Andre et al, 2010) but is lower than Putrajaya 80.3% (Azevedo et al, 2013). The probable reason for the lack of awareness in this area can be due to the terminology "germs" that are generally used in the delivery of medical advice or counseling to the patients instead of using the scientific terminology "bacteria" or "virus" (You et al, 2008).…”

“…A total of 62.4% of respondents in this study failed to identify that antibiotic does not work for a cough and cold compared to 60.5% in Shah Alam (Davies et al, 2010). Studies in Penang (Andre et al, 2010) and Putrajaya (Azevedo et al, 2013) both have more than 80% of respondents failing to identify this usage of antibiotic; however, only 53.0% was reported in UK studies (McNulty et al, 2007).…”

Misuse of Antibiotic Therapy among University Community in South Jordan

“…In the last two decades, the world witnessed an increased incidence of microbial resistance after using non-prescribed antibiotics against numerous infectious diseases [2]. Although some would argue that antibiotic resistance may increase as long as antibiotic was in use, until recently clinical significance of this resistance was not clearly reported in the literature [3].…”

“…In addition to antibiotic resistance, this behavior may also lead to economic loss, increased incidence of treatment failure, and returned visits to the physician [7,8]. Factor associated with antibiotic therapy misuse included consumer's knowledge and attitudes toward antibiotic consumption, expectations from the therapy, physician's knowledge and experience, and pharmaceutical marketing [2,9,10]. In a study in the Northeast of the United States, medical students emphasized the need for both education and feedback on antimicrobial prescribing in order to control overuse or misuse which was high among the population in general [11].…”