Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice towards Antibiotic Use among the Support Staff of a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital in India

Abstract

Aims & Objectives: Antimicrobial resistance is a global problem arising mainly due to the irrational use of antibiotics, self-medication being one of the key contributors. Such practices are particularly common in developing countries where a large section of the population lacks awareness of the proper use of antibiotics. Many studies in the past have assessed knowledge and practices about antibiotic use in public and healthcare personnel. However, literature on the Indian population, specifically, about support staff hospital workers (aya, hamal, ward boy, sweeper) is scarce. The fact that these workers closely interact with both doctors and patients renders them crucial to spreading the right information in the community. This study aims to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices towards antibiotic use in the support staff of a tertiary healthcare hospital and to identify the demographic factors that affect their knowledge, attitude, and practices towards antibiotic use. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out using a self-administered, pretested, pre-validated structured questionnaire, in 403 support healthcare workers at a tertiary healthcare hospital. The questionnaire had 4 sections on demographic characteristics, knowledge of antibiotic use and resistance, attitude, and practices of antibiotic consumption. Individual responses were scored and classified as good, average, or poor. Results: Category-wise overall respondents scores were as follows: Knowledge (64.5% good, 27.8% average, 7.7% poor), Attitude (59.2% good, 33.9% average, 6.9% poor), and Practices (55.6% good, 44.1% average, 0.3% poor). Although 58% of respondents took antibiotics on doctor's recommendation only, 93% did not use their leftover medication for family. 100% of people with age >50 years completed full courses of prescribed antibiotic therapy. Conclusion and Significance: The study showed an association between good Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices with better education and income. While >50% study population scored well on all 3 criterion, certain issues, such as using leftover antibiotics for family and taking antibiotics without a doctor's recommendation, are heavily prevalent. More awareness is required to prevent such practices. Keywords: KAP, antibiotic resistance, support staff