SARS-Cov-2 and drug shortages- Trends and lessons from a Caribbean perspective

Abstract

Aim and Objectives To investigate the knowledge, attitudes and practices towards antibiotic use among patients attending a tertiary referral urology unit in south Trinidad. We aimed to investigate the general level of awareness of antibiotics as well as identify patterns of antibiotic misuse which could potentially lead to antibiotic resistance. Results 150 patients were evaluated. Most patients (75.5%) were aware that antibiotics are used to treat bacterial infections. 57.9% also believed that antibiotics may be used to treat viral infections. 48.4% were aware of the potential deleterious effects of antibiotics on the body’s normal flora while 78% were aware of the concept of antibiotic resistance. 28.9% reported using antibiotics without a prescription. Overall, 23.3% reported having done so for a fever or cold while 12.6% did so for urinary symptoms. 68 persons (42.8%) stopped their antibiotics prior to completion of the course duration with most (76.5%) indicating that they did so because they felt better. Conclusion This study demonstrates that while most patients were aware of issues surrounding the use of antibiotics, a significant percentage still harboured several misconceptions. Also, high rates of self-medication with antibiotics were noted, among several worrying patterns of usage.