Knowledge and Attitude of General Pakistani Population Towards Antibiotic Resistance

Abstract

Introduction The emergence and continuous spread of drug resistant bacteria has become one of the leading health concerns globally. Persistent failure to develop and/or discover new antibiotics along with irrational use of existing antibiotics is associated with rise in antibiotic resistance. There is poor understanding of antibiotics usage and their preciousness among the masses which result in careless utilization and hence, the emerging antibiotic resistance. The aim of this study is to evaluate the knowledge and attitude of Pakistanis towards antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Methods This observational cross-sectional survey was designed in the form of an online pro forma circulated in January 2019. It was a self-structured pro forma which included age, gender, and 10 questions - five to assess the knowledge and five to assess the attitude towards AMR. Each question was to be responded with a "Yes" or a "No." For knowledge assessing questions "do not know" was also an option. Data was entered and analysed using SPSS version 22 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). Results Of 1,132 participants, 837 (73.9%) thought that it was alright to stop antibiotics course whenever they felt better, 505 (44.6%) thought that frequent and unnecessary use of antibiotics actually decrease their effectiveness, and 208 (18.4%) participants thought it was correct to take antibiotics for cold and influenza. There were 157 (13.9%) participants who had not followed the duration of treatment as given in their doctor's prescription, 49 (4.4%) who had changed their antibiotic dose without doctor consultation, 467 (41.3%) who had reused leftover antibiotics from their previous prescription, 700 (61.8%) who had suggested it to their doctors to prescribe them antibiotics and 378 (33.4%) participants who had purchased antibiotics without any prescription in the last one year. Conclusion Pakistani individuals are not as knowledgeable about antibiotic resistance as severe the issue is in this region. Their attitude towards utilization of antibiotics is not very promising. It becomes essential to initiate antibiotic stewardship programs and educate the masses regarding efficacious and safe use of antibiotics in this region.

Keywords: antibiotic prescribing; antibiotic stewardship; antibiotics and antibiotic resistance; knowledge and attitude; self-prescription.

Figure 1. Assessment of knowledge about antibiotic resistance (%).

Figure 2. Assessment of attitude about antibiotic resistance (%).