Factors associated with doctors' knowledge on antibiotic use in China.

Yu Bai,Sijie Wang,Yanhong Gong,Zuxun Lu,Xiaoxv Yin,Jigeng Bai

doi:10.1038/srep23429

Yu Bai, Sijie Wang + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1038/srep23429

Copy DOI

Abstract

Misuse of antibiotics by the medical profession is a global concern. Examining doctors’ knowledge about antimicrobials will be important in developing strategies to improve antibiotic use. The aim of the study was to survey Chinese doctors’ knowledge on antibiotics and reveal the factors associated with their level of knowledge. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Shanxi in central China. A total of 761 physicians were surveyed using a structured self-administered questionnaire. A generalized linear regression model was used to identify the factors associated with doctors’ knowledge on antibiotic. Based on a full score of 10, the average score for doctors’ knowledge on antibiotics was 6.29 (SD = 1.79). Generalized linear regression analysis indicated that doctors who either worked in the internal medicine department, who were chief doctors or who received continuing education on antibiotic, had better knowledge of antibiotics. Compared with doctors working in tertiary hospitals, doctors working in secondary hospitals or primary healthcare facilities had poorer knowledge about antibiotics. Chinese doctors have suboptimal knowledge about antimicrobials. Ongoing education is effective to enhance doctors’ knowledge, but the effect remains to be further improved. More targeted interventions and education programs should improve knowledge about antimicrobials, especially for doctors working in primary healthcare institutions.

Highlights

Resistance to antibiotics is a growing worldwide public health problem[1,2,3,4], leading to a delay in the administration of effective therapy and increased hospital costs, morbidity and mortality[5] The widespread inappropriate use of antibiotics is considered as one of the important significant causes of the development of microbial antibiotic resistance[6,7,8,9]
The mean antibiotic knowledge score in this study was similar to that reported by a previous study conducted in the Congo[15], but was lower than the result from a comparable survey conducted in Peru[14]
For example in Congo and Peru, the study participants were doctors who worked in tertiary hospitals or in teaching hospitals[14,15]

Summary

Introduction

Resistance to antibiotics is a growing worldwide public health problem[1,2,3,4], leading to a delay in the administration of effective therapy and increased hospital costs, morbidity and mortality[5] The widespread inappropriate use of antibiotics is considered as one of the important significant causes of the development of microbial antibiotic resistance[6,7,8,9] These facts have prompted many to call for improvements in the way doctors’ prescribe antimicrobials to patients[10,11]. The present study aims to measure doctors’ knowledge on antibiotic use in China and reveal these factors

Objectives

Methods

Findings

Conclusion