Knowledge and Attitudes Concerning Antibiotic Use and Resistance among the Public in Pulau Pinang, Malaysia.

Nur Ashila Azleen Ab Halim,Ahmed Nouri,Mohamed Azmi Hassali,Huan Keat Chan,Chee-Tao Chang

doi:10.21315/mjms2018.25.6.15

Nur Ashila Azleen Ab Halim, Ahmed Nouri + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.21315/mjms2018.25.6.15

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Abstract

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the knowledge and attitudes concerning antibiotic use and resistance among members of the local community in Pulau Pinang, Malaysia. The study was conducted among 326 residents of the Jelutong district, Pulau Pinang state, from August to October 2013. A self-administered five-part questionnaire was used for the data collection. The respondents exhibited inadequate knowledge of antibiotics in general. Approximately 80% of them did not know the indications for antibiotic use, while 76% believed that antibiotics were useful in terms of resolving viral fever. Additionally, 52.6% believed that antibiotics could be used to treat all types of infections. Inadequate knowledge of antibiotic resistance was also evident among the respondents, since 72.9% of them did not agree that resistant bacteria can spread from human or animal to human, while 32% were unaware that bacteria can develop resistance to antibiotics. More than 60% of respondents admitted that they took antibiotics in order to accelerate their recovery from illness, while 34.8% claimed that they only stopped taking antibiotics when they felt better. The findings hence indicate that most respondents had poor knowledge and attitudes concerning antibiotic use and resistance, which suggests the need for more community-based educational campaigns designed to improve the public’s knowledge and attitudes regarding antibiotics.

Highlights

To date, a wide range of viral and commonly self-resolving diseases, including the common cold, sinusitis, sore throat and bronchitis, have been treated with antibiotics worldwide despite the lack of efficacy of such a treatment modality
The level of knowledge and attitudes concerning antibiotic use vary across different countries and communities
The questionnaire was adapted from several studies [9, 12, 13], and it comprised five parts: (i) demographic characteristics, (ii) history of antibiotic use over the past three months, (iii) knowledge of antibiotics, (iv) attitude regarding antibiotic use, and (v) knowledge of antibiotic resistance

Summary

Introduction

A wide range of viral and commonly self-resolving diseases, including the common cold, sinusitis, sore throat and bronchitis, have been treated with antibiotics worldwide despite the lack of efficacy of such a treatment modality. The use of antibiotics has often been shown to not be supported by culture and sensitivity testing, nor is it always in line with the recommendations governing clinical practice [1, 2]. The level of knowledge and attitudes concerning antibiotic use vary across different countries and communities. Malays J Med Sci. Nov–Dec 2018; 25(6): 141–147 antimicrobial treatment when they felt better [4], such a practice was reported by only 15.6% of respondents in Turkey [2]. Selfprescription and the excessive use of antibiotics, such as penicillin and erythromycin, have been reported to be fairly prevalent in developing countries [5, 6]

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