Prevalence and Determinants of Antibiotic Self-Medication among Adult Patients with Respiratory Tract Infections in the Mboppi Baptist Hospital, Douala, Cameroon: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Antibiotic self-medication in patients with respiratory tract infections (RTI) is increasing globally and has been reported to be one of the prime contributors to antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Our study aims to provide data on the prevalence of antibiotic self-medication and identify the factors contributing to self-medication in adult patients with respiratory tract infection in an urban setting in Cameroon. This was cross-sectional study carried out at Mboppi Baptist Hospital, Douala, Cameroon. A validated structured questionnaire was administered to 308 consenting participants with diagnosed RTIs, to collect data on socio-demographic characteristics and history of antibiotic self-medication. Significance was set at a p-value < 0.05. The prevalence of antibiotic self-medication amongst individuals with RTIs was 41.9% (95% CI 36.5% to 47.5%). Patients with a history of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) were significantly less likely to self-medicate with antibiotics (p-value = 0.043). The most common source of antibiotic self-medication was pharmacies (62%) and Cotrimoxazole and Amoxicillin were the most commonly used antibiotics (38.8% (50), 26.4% (34), respectively). Self-medication with antibiotics in adult patients with RTIs is common in Cameroon. Control of the use of antibiotics, organisation of medication stewardship programs, and education of the general population on the adverse consequences of antibiotic self-medication are required.

Evidence of the Practice of Self-Medication with Antibiotics among the Lay Public in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Scoping Review

“…A total of 24 studies were identified and included in this scoping review study; the characteristics of the included studies are presented in Table 1 . These studies were executed using different methodologies such as cross-sectional [ 12 , 13 , 14 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 ], quantitative, [ 40 , 41 , 42 ] and mixed-methods or observational designs [ 23 ]. The number of participants in these studies ranged from 100 to 2696 and publication dates ranged from 2009 to 2018.…”

“…The number of participants in these studies ranged from 100 to 2696 and publication dates ranged from 2009 to 2018. Data on attitude, prevalence, sociodemographic factors, predictors and causes of SMA were collected from self-completed questionnaires [ 13 , 14 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 33 , 37 ], face-to-face interviews [ 32 , 36 , 38 , 40 , 41 , 43 ] and observer-rated compliance with recommendations [ 23 ]. Four of the studies were undertaken in Saudi Arabia [ 28 , 29 , 30 , 39 ], three in Pakistan [ 12 , 13 , 42 ], two studies in Jordan [ 40 , 41 ] and Turkey [ 38 , 41 ] and one each from Bangladesh, [ 24 ] Bulgaria [ 23 ], Beirut, [ 32 ] Cameroon [ 33 ] Columbia, [ 34 ] Greece, [ 25 ] Guatemala, [ 35 ] Haiti, [ 36 ] Indonesia [ 26 ] Cyprus, Egypt, Lebanon, Libya, Tunisia, [ 41 ] Nigeria, [ 14 ] Poland, [ 37 ] Portugal, [ 27 ] Romania, [ 43 ] and the United Arab Emirates […”

“…Cameroon [33] The objectives of this study were to evaluate the incidence of SMA and recognize the factors that contribute to SM among adult patients with respiratory tract illness in Cameroon. SMA was reported by 26% participants, with an increased prevalence in males compared to females (48% vs 38%, respectively).…”

“…Among the Southern and Eastern European countries, broad-spectrum penicillins were utilized more significantly for SMA than in Northern and Western European countries [25,27,37,43]. While the most commonly used antibiotics for SMA among the people of Cameroon, Guatemala, Nigeria and Egypt were sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim, metronidazole, cotrimoxazole and amoxicillin [14,33,35,41].…”

Antimicrobial resistance from a one health perspective in Cameroon: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Vital information on the burden of antibiotic resistance and concerns on diagnostic capacity and second-line treatment options in the country are also presented. The misuse of antibiotics such as inappropriate prescription of antibiotics, excessive use and auto-medication and insufficient hygienic practices in health care settings have been reported to contribute to rising levels of AMR [86, 87]. The moderate resistance level (42%) observed for Staphylococcus spp isolated from hospital settings to third generation cephalosporins, gentamicin and fluoroquinolones was due to the fact that these drugs were usually the last choice of medicine used.…”