Abstract
To establish a better understanding of physicians' knowledge and beliefs, and to compare distinctions in knowledge, attitude and perception of junior and senior doctors regarding rational use of antibiotics. The cross-sectional study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, from June 1 to July 31, 2016, and comprised senior and junior doctors. A 26-item questionnaire divided in three sections was used to test knowledge, attitude and perception of the subjects regarding rational use of antibiotics. Data was analysed using SPSS 23. Of the 200 subjects, 132(66%) were senior doctors; 68(34%) were junior; 116(58%) were females; 84(42%) were males; and the highest number of respondents were from General Medicine 65(32.5%). While 182(91%) doctors realised that antibiotic resistance was a pressing issue, only 131(65.5%) felt confident about their prescriptions and 94(47%) admitted that they over-prescribed antibiotics. Among young physicians, 13(19.1%) believed that antibiotics did not cause side effects even when prescribed unnecesarily. Also, 47(69.1%) junior doctors felt that patients' demands influenced their prescriptions compared to 66(50%) senior doctors (p=0.01). Although physicians were found to be knowledgeable about rational use of antibiotics, there were gaps in knowledge and perception.
Highlights
Antibiotic resistance is a phenomenon that has been known to the world for the past six decades
The United States S Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that antibiotic-resistant organisms infect more than two million people in the US alone, resulting in approximately 23,000 deaths annually, and these numbers are estimates which means the true burden of resistance is much higher.[3]
All doctors working in the hospital understood simple English, and, that was the language of choice for the questionnaire which had 26 items that were to be answered by the physicians based on their knowledge (8 questions), attitude (7 questions), and perception (11 questions) towards antibiotic use and resistance
Summary
Antibiotic resistance is a phenomenon that has been known to the world for the past six decades. The excessive use of antibiotics, overthe-counter availability of antibiotics without a prescription from a licensed doctor, and poor policies for infection control are the three main contributing factors to antibiotic resistance in society.[5] This unrestricted access to antibiotics escalates the problem of resistance among the general population, along with poor sanitation, overcrowding, and a warm, humid climate.[6] Hospitals are responsible for antibiotic misuse as primary healthcare practitioners. Discrepancies in the knowledge, attitude and perception of physicians are at the helm of incorrect and excessive antibiotic prescription, and correcting these may be the key to a possible solution. They have not been researched adequately on a national level. The current study was planned to assess the knowledge, attitude and perception of doctors about proper use of antibiotics, and to compare distinctions on all three counts between junior and senior doctors
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