Exploring Information Available to and Used by Physicians on Antibiotic Use and Antibiotic Resistance in Jordan.

Reema A Karasneh,Sayer I Al-Azzam,Iman A Basheti,Ola Al-Azzeh,Mamoon A Aldeyab,Barbara R Conway,Mera A Ababneh,Sarah Al Sharie

doi:10.3390/antibiotics10080963

Abstract

Evidence based information sources for physicians are needed for informed antibiotic prescribing practices. The aim of this study was to explore physicians’ preferred sources of information and evaluate physicians’ awareness of available information and initiatives on prudent antibiotic prescribing in Jordan. A cross-sectional study was conducted utilizing an online questionnaire and included physicians (n = 409) from all sectors and specialties in Jordan. Published guidelines (31.8%), the workplace (25.7%), colleagues or peers (20.0%), group or conference training (18.3%), and the medical professional body (18.1%) were the main sources of information about avoiding unnecessary antibiotic prescribing, with the influence of these sources on changing prescribers’ views being 34.7%, 17.1%, 11%, 13.4%, and 7.6%, respectively. One-third of physicians (33.7%) reported no knowledge of any initiatives on antibiotic awareness and resistance. Regarding awareness of national action plans on antimicrobial resistance, 10.5%, 34%, and 55.5% of physicians were aware, unaware, and unsure of the presence of any national action plans, respectively. Physicians showed interest in receiving more information on resistance to antibiotics (58.9%), how to use antibiotics (42.2%), medical conditions for which antibiotics are used (41.3%), prescribing of antibiotics (35.2%), and links between the health of humans, animals, and the environment (19.8%). The findings can inform interventions needed to design effective antimicrobial stewardship, enabling physicians to prescribe antibiotics appropriately.

Highlights

The introduction of antibiotics has been considered a huge revolution in the medical field, helping to reduce mortality rates and countless complications of infectious diseases [1,2]
We investigated information available to and used by physicians in relation to antibiotic use and decision making along with the influence of this information on antibiotic prescribing views and behavior
In this study we assessed the use of recent guidelines, continuing education of practitioners, and awareness regarding national efforts to counteract the emerging antibiotic resistance issue

Summary

Introduction

The introduction of antibiotics has been considered a huge revolution in the medical field, helping to reduce mortality rates and countless complications of infectious diseases [1,2]. In Jordan, current regulations state that antimicrobials can only be dispensed by prescription, and only physicians and dentists have the authority to prescribe antibiotics [7] This is not well controlled, and antibiotics can still be dispensed without a prescription as per patient request, worsening the problem of antimicrobial resistance [8,9]. This issue may be exacerbated by the misuse and overuse of antibiotics caused by inappropriate prescribing by physicians without adequate supportive clinical information [3,10,11,12,13]

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