The Potential Role of Social Media Platforms in Community Awareness of Antibiotic Use in the Gulf Cooperation Council States: Luxury or Necessity?

Hosam Mamoon Zowawi,David L Paterson,Florie A Mar,Hanan H Balkhy,Abdullah H Kutbi,Malak Abedalthagafi,Turki Almalki,Rihab Abdalazez Hasanain,Tiffany Harris-Brown,Stephan Harbarth

doi:10.2196/jmir.3891

Abstract

The increasing emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a serious public health issue. Increasing the awareness of the general public about appropriate antibiotic use is a key factor for combating this issue. Several public media campaigns worldwide have been launched; however, such campaigns can be costly and the outcomes are variable and difficult to assess. Social media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, are now frequently utilized to address health-related issues. In many geographical locations, such as the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) States (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and Bahrain), these platforms are becoming increasingly popular. The socioeconomic status of the GCC states and their reliable communication and networking infrastructure has allowed the penetration and scalability of these platforms in the region. This might explain why the Saudi Ministry of Health is using social media platforms alongside various other media platforms in a large-scale public awareness campaign to educate at-risk communities about the recently emerged Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). This paper discusses the potential for using social media tools as cost-efficient and mass education platforms to raise awareness of appropriate antibiotic use in the general public and in the medical communities of the Arabian Peninsula.

Highlights

Antibiotic resistance has become a severe public health threat worldwide, including in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states [1]
Reducing the suboptimal use of antibiotics among the general public and medical community through awareness activities is an important element in national plans to combat rising antimicrobial resistance (AMR)
Social media platforms seem to be a valuable platform for delivering awareness messages

Summary

Introduction

Antibiotic resistance has become a severe public health threat worldwide, including in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states [1]. In 2011, the World Health Organization (WHO) themed its annual day to address this issue with the slogan “No action today, no cure tomorrow” and listed the actions to be undertaken These actions included providing education to achieve effective antibiotic use [2]. A Saudi study found that 77.6% of pharmacies dispensed antibiotics without a prescription primarily to treat scenarios consistent with viral infections [14], whereas 68.4% of antibiotics from Abu Dhabi pharmacies were sold over-the-counter [15], suggesting lack of antibiotics knowledge [16] These examples of antibiotics misuse and others suggest the urgent need for a public campaign in Saudi Arabia and beyond to provide greater education on the proper use of antibiotics along with the concept of reserving antibiotics for use only when they are truly needed. J Med Internet Res 2015 | vol 17 | iss. 10 | e233 | p.2 (page number not for citation purposes)

Method used

Findings

Conclusion