Patient Attitudes and Beliefs and Provider Practices Regarding Antibiotic Use for Acute Respiratory Tract Infections in Minya, Egypt

Abstract

The inappropriate use of antibiotics in the community is one of the major causes of antimicrobial resistance. This study aimed to explore the physician prescribing pattern of antibiotics for acute respiratory infections (ARIs) and to explore the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of patients regarding antibiotic use for ARIs. The study was conducted in Upper Egypt and used quantitative and qualitative research techniques. Eligible patients exiting outpatient clinics with ARIs were invited to participate in the study. A qualitative study was conducted through 20 focus group discussions. Out of 350 encounters for patients with various ARIs, 292 (83%) had been prescribed at least one antibiotic. Factors significantly associated with antibiotic prescribing for adults included patient preference that an antibiotic be prescribed. For children younger than 18, presentation with fever, cough, loss of appetite, and sore throat, along with the caregiver’s antibiotic preference, were associated with an antibiotic prescription. Several misconceptions regarding antibiotic use among community members were stated, such as the strong belief of the curing and prophylactic power of antibiotics for the common cold. Interventions to promote proper antibiotic use for ARIs need to be piloted, targeting both physicians and the public. Educational programs for physicians and campaigns to raise public awareness regarding proper antibiotic use for ARIs need to be developed.

Improving Physicians' Adherence to Guidelines Regarding Antibiotics Use in Acute Upper Respiratory Tract Infections in Adult Patients Attending Ministry of Health Hospitals in Alexandria, Egypt: An Interventional Study

“…This indicates the importance of establishing programs for the guidelines in increasing the adherence rate. In agreement with our results Bisno et al [12] emphasized that establishing of guidelines aims to assist the physicians to make decisions on treating specified conditions of URTI as pharyngitis in adult respiratory outpatient clinics.…”

Outpatient Antibiotic Dispensing for the Population with Government Health Insurance in Syria in 2018–2019

“…The variation in the proportion may be explained by the fact that a package of oral antibiotics has, on average, 9.02 DDDs, while parenteral antibiotic packages have, on average, 0.72 DDDs. Some physicians and patients still believe that parenteral antibiotics are more effective than oral ones [ 42 , 43 ]. Ceftriaxone was the most dispensed parenteral antibiotic (34.27%), followed by ceftriaxone and sulbactam (31.32%).…”

Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Recovered from Healthcare- and Community-Associated Infections in Egypt

“…This explanation is supported by two studies analyzing the rationale of antibiotic use in Egypt. The studies reported that beta lactam, macrolides, and cephalosporins antibiotics are the most common antibiotics prescribed for treating healthcare-associated infections in Egyptian hospitals [ 21 , 22 ].…”