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. 2025 Aug 18;18(1):358.
doi: 10.1186/s13104-025-07447-1.

Assessing patients' knowledge immediately after obtaining the antibacterial drug azithromycin: a community pharmacy-based cross-sectional study

Asmaa S Mohamed  1   2 , Hosam M A Refaei  3 , Remon R Rofaeil  4   5
Affiliations

Assessing patients' knowledge immediately after obtaining the antibacterial drug azithromycin: a community pharmacy-based cross-sectional study

Asmaa S Mohamed et al. BMC Res Notes. .

Abstract

Objective: This cross-sectional study was conducted across 38 community pharmacies and included 418 patients who were dispensed oral azithromycin. Pharmacists administered a structured questionnaire to collect demographic information and assess patients' knowledge regarding azithromycin use. Knowledge was evaluated based on responses related to the medication's name, dosage, frequency, potential side effects, and intended purpose. Based on their scores, participants were categorized as having poor (< 50%), average (50-70%), or good (> 70%) knowledge. The aim of this study was to assess patients' knowledge of azithromycin use and identify factors influencing their level of understanding.

Results: A total of 418 participants completed the questionnaire, with a mean age of 35.27 years; 75.60% were under 40 years old, and 62.20% were female. The majority were married (81.82%), resided in urban areas (57.89%), and held a university degree (67.70%). Azithromycin was prescribed by physicians for 62.20% of participants, while 29.67% obtained it directly from pharmacists via over-the-counter (OTC) access, and 8.13% self-medicated. Knowledge scores differed significantly according to marital status, place of residence, education level, and socioeconomic status, with higher scores observed among married, urban, university-educated, and higher-income individuals (p < 0.05). In contrast, age, gender, smoking status, and diabetes mellitus showed no significant association with knowledge scores. Overall, 21.53% of participants had poor knowledge, 46.41% had average knowledge, and 32.06% demonstrated good knowledge.

Keywords: Antibacterial drug misuse; Azithromycin; Medication knowledge; Self-medication.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: This study was approved by the ethics committee of Port-Said University. Written informed consent was obtained from the study participants after describing the study’s goals and advantages. All study steps were performed in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Overview of azithromycin
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The main study steps
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Indications for azithromycin use in the study sample. Abbreviations: CVS (cardiovascular system), URTI (upper respiratory tract infections), LRTI (lower respiratory tract infections), and GIT (gastrointestinal tract).
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Distribution of patient knowledge scores in the study sample
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Predictors of average or good patient medication knowledge about azithromycin. Factors in order: Age group, gender, occupation, marital status, residence, education, income, smoking, diabetes mellitus, main source of drug information
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