'Antibiotics are like gold': a qualitative study of patient perspectives on the use of antibiotics without a prescription

Abstract

Background: Using antibiotics without a prescription (non-prescription use) is common in the USA and contributes to antibiotic misuse, potentially harming individuals and threatening public health. At the individual level, safety issues related to non-prescription use include adverse drug reactions and disruption of healthy microbiomes. At the public health level, non-prescription use increases the risk of antimicrobial resistance.

Objectives: This qualitative study explored the reasons and motivations underlying non-prescription use among adult outpatients with varying healthcare coverage and education.

Methods: We used purposive sampling to recruit participants who endorsed using non-prescription antibiotics in a larger quantitative survey. Participants were patients recruited from six public and two private clinics in Houston and Katy, Texas. All interviews were semistructured and conducted remotely by trained research coordinators in the participant's preferred language (English or Spanish). Interviews captured elements from two domains of the Kilbourne Theoretical Framework for Advancing Health Disparities Research, including patients' attitudes and beliefs, resources and various healthcare-system factors that could impact non-prescription use. Thematic analysis revealed the factors and situations that contribute to non-prescription use.

Results: Of 86 participants surveyed, 72% were female and 24% had Medicare or private insurance. Our thematic analyses on why participants use non-prescription antibiotics are organised into two domains: (1) patient beliefs and experiences and (2) healthcare system barriers. Patient beliefs and experiences revealed four themes: (1) belief that antibiotics relieve many symptoms/illnesses (eg, pain, sore throat, if symptoms/illnesses are persistent, lingering or severe), (2) belief that patients know their own bodies (eg, participants' perceived self-efficacy in knowing and using medications for their illnesses/symptoms), (3) belief that over-the-counter medicines do not work and (4) belief that antibiotics are like gold (eg, antibiotics are difficult to obtain, valuable and highly effective). Healthcare system barriers revealed two themes: (1) patients encounter obstacles to healthcare (eg, transportation, long wait times, high healthcare costs and lack of reliable telemedicine options) and (2) patients express convenience in using non-prescription antibiotics from multiple sources (eg, leftover prescriptions, social networks or purchased without a prescription).

Conclusions: Barriers to care, the convenience of obtaining non-prescription antibiotics, and patients' beliefs regarding the powerful value of antibiotics and their agency to direct this aspect of care present challenges that need to be explored to design effective outpatient antibiotic stewardship programmes.

Keywords: Community Health; Health Services Accessibility; Public Health; Qualitative Research; Social Medicine.

Figure 1. Overview of the reasons participants use antibiotics without a prescription: domains and themes.