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. 2020 Jan 29;5(1):18.
doi: 10.3390/tropicalmed5010018.

Pilot Survey of Knowledge, Attitudes and Perceptions of Hajj Deployed Health Care Workers on Antibiotics and Antibiotic Prescriptions for Upper Respiratory Tract Infections: Results from Two Hajj Seasons

Hamid Bokhary  1   2   3   4 , Osamah Barasheed  5 , Moataz Abd El Ghany  3   4   6 , Ameneh Khatami  6 , Grant A Hill-Cawthorne  1   3 , Harunor Rashid  3   7   8 ; Hajj Research Team  5
Collaborators, Affiliations

Pilot Survey of Knowledge, Attitudes and Perceptions of Hajj Deployed Health Care Workers on Antibiotics and Antibiotic Prescriptions for Upper Respiratory Tract Infections: Results from Two Hajj Seasons

Hamid Bokhary et al. Trop Med Infect Dis. .

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global public health issue. Upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) are common illnesses during Hajj, for which antibiotics are often inappropriately prescribed. Hajj healthcare workers' (HCW) knowledge, attitudes and perceptions (KAP) about AMR and antibiotic use for URTIs are not known. We conducted a survey among HCWs during Hajj to explore their KAP regarding antibiotic use for URTIs in pilgrims. Electronic or paper-based surveys were distributed to HCWs during the Hajj in 2016 and 2017. A total of 85 respondents aged 25 to 63 (median 40) years completed the surveys. Most participants were male (78.8%) and were physicians by profession (95.3%). Around 85% and 19% of respondents claimed to have heard about AMR and antimicrobial stewardship programs, respectively, among whom most had obtained their knowledge during their qualification. Implementation of URTI treatment guidelines was very low. In conclusion, HCWs at Hajj have significant knowledge gaps regarding AMR, often do not use standard clinical criteria to diagnose URTIs and display a tendency to prescribe antibiotics for URTIs.

Keywords: Hajj; antimicrobial resistance; antimicrobial stewardship; attitudes; guideline; health care workers; knowledge; mass gathering; perceptions; saudi arabia; survey; upper respiratory tract infection.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flowchart for recruitment and analyzed responses.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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