Abstract
We aimed to assess antibiotic usage and knowledge regarding antibiotics and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) among undergraduate students of the Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD), public university located in Brunei Darussalam. A cross-sectional study was performed using a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire was adapted from the World Health Organization’s (WHO) “Antibiotic resistance: Multi-country public awareness” survey distributed online. Students at the UBD were invited to participate in the online survey through internal email. The questionnaire consisted of five sections: demographic information, antibiotic usage, knowledge on antibiotics, antibiotic resistance (AMR), and use of antibiotics in agriculture. The data were analyzed descriptively and appropriate inferential statistics were used accordingly. A total of 130 students returned a completed questionnaire. The result of the study found that 51% (n = 66) of the students had good level of knowledge of antibiotic and antimicrobial resistance with a mean total knowledge score of nine out of 14. Of note, 76% (n = 99) of the respondents mistakenly believed that antibiotic resistance is the result of the body becoming resistant to antibiotics. Only 14% (n = 18) of the respondents were found to have poor knowledge on antibiotics and antimicrobial resistance in the study. Misconceptions in regards to the use of antibiotics for conditions related to viral illnesses like cold and flu (41%, n = 53) were noticed among the respondents in our study. Thus, improving knowledge on antibiotics is crucial to address these beliefs.
Highlights
The abuse and excessive utilization of antibiotics have led to the rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) which poses a major threat to individual health globally [1]
Antimicrobial drugs can be defined as a group of drugs that are effective against microorganisms and comprise antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals, and antiparasitic drugs, whereas an antibacterial agent is any agent that is directed against bacteria [5]
An antibacterial agent only acts upon bacteria, but antibiotics can work on both bacteria and fungi
Summary
The abuse and excessive utilization of antibiotics have led to the rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) which poses a major threat to individual health globally [1]. At least 700,000 deaths globally a year are caused by drug-resistant diseases and the rate of mortality has been predicted to grow to 10 million deaths per year by 2050 [2,3]. Antimicrobial drugs can be defined as a group of drugs that are effective against microorganisms and comprise antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals, and antiparasitic drugs, whereas an antibacterial agent is any agent that is directed against bacteria [5]. Bacterial infections can be prevented and treated with medicines called antibiotics [6]. An antibacterial agent only acts upon bacteria, but antibiotics can work on both bacteria and fungi
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
