Abstract
Background: This study aimed to assess the attitudes and knowledge of adult individuals about antibiotics. Since in Turkey, antibiotics are not sold without a prescription, it was also investigated whether Turkish people compelled physicians to prescribe antibiotics by showing unrealistic symptoms. Methods: A self-administered cross-sectional survey involving 1,057 respondents was conducted using a validated questionnaire. The questionnaire was prepared in four sections. The first section included attitude assessment and a five-point Likert scale has collected information. In the second section, knowledge questions examined participants’ knowledge about antibiotics with Three-point Likert scale. The third section contained a sensitive question, and using the crosswise model was indirectly asked whether the participant has forced the physician to prescribe an antibiotic. The reliability test results for the attitude scale showed the α-value of Cronbach was 0.767, and KR-21 reliability for the knowledge scale was 0.713. Test-retest reliability coefficients for attitude scale was r=0.697, the coefficients for knowledge scale was r=0.887. Results: Turkish people’s awareness about antibiotics is insufficient but at an acceptable level. The public is aware that antibiotics rapidly develop resistance when used widely and incorrectly. Nevertheless, %17 of them resort to showing unrealistic symptoms to force the physician to prescribe antibiotics. Conclusion: To conclude, Turkish people’s knowledge and attitudes about antibiotics are insufficient but acceptable. However, a noticeable rate of patients resorts to showing unrealistic symptoms to force the physician to prescribe antibiotics.
Highlights
The discovery of antibiotics is known as one of the most crucial turning points in human history, and it is an undeniable fact that it has saved millions of lives
The results have shown that the antibiotic awareness of the study population is insufficient but is at an acceptable level
The highest incorrect responses in the knowledge questions were for the question: “antibiotics can treat viral infections”; as stated in similar studies in the literature. 73.4% of participants in our study, %67.2 of in [16], and %70 in [17], it is not known that antibiotics are not effective for viral infections
Summary
The discovery of antibiotics is known as one of the most crucial turning points in human history, and it is an undeniable fact that it has saved millions of lives. In addition to excessive and inappropriate use of antibiotics, an irrational prescribing by the physician can be counted as the leading cause of antibiotic resistance [3]. According to the Ministry of Health Prescription Information System 2016 reports, among the total e-prescriptions of family physicians and other physicians in 2013-2015, the prescription rates containing antibiotics are above 30% [5]. To reduce this rate in February 2003, the Ministry of Health in a national regulation for antibiotic restriction, considered piperacillin/tazobactam, carbapenems, glycopeptides, and ticarcillin/clavulanate as restricted antibiotics that could only be used with the approval of an infectious disease specialist. Since in Turkey, antibiotics are not sold without a prescription, it was investigated whether Turkish people compelled physicians to prescribe antibiotics by showing unrealistic symptoms
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