scholarly journals Use of antimicrobials and antimicrobial resistance in Nepal: a nationwide survey

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Komal Raj Rijal ◽  
Megha Raj Banjara ◽  
Binod Dhungel ◽  
Samarpan Kafle ◽  
Kedar Gautam ◽  
...  

AbstractNepal suffers from high burden of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) due to inappropriate use of antibiotics. The main objective of this study was to explore knowledge, attitude and practices of antibiotics uses among patients, healthcare workers, laboratories, drug sellers and farmers in eight districts of Nepal. A cross-sectional survey was conducted between April and July 2017. A total of 516 individuals participated in a face-to-face interview that included clinicians, private drug dispensers, patients, laboratories, public health centers/hospitals and, livestock and poultry farmers. Out of 516 respondents, 62.8% (324/516) were patients, 16.9% (87/516) were clinicians, 6.4% (33/516) were private drug dispensers. A significant proportion of patients (42.9%; 139/324) thought that fever could be treated with antibiotics. Majority (79%; 256/324) of the patients purchased antibiotics over the counter. The knowledge of antibiotics used among patients increased proportionately with the level of education: literate only [AOR = 1.4 (95% Cl = 0.6–4.4)], versus secondary education (8–10 grade) [AOR = 1.8 (95% Cl = 1.0–3.4)]. Adult patients were more aware of antibiotic resistance. Use of antibiotics over the counter was found high in this study. Knowledge, attitude and practice related to antibiotic among respondents showed significant gaps and need an urgent effort to mitigate such practice.

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 14-18
Author(s):  
Sanam Mahato ◽  
Shanti Bajracharya

Background: Over-the-counter drugs are the medicines that are sold without prescription of med­ical person. Though over-the-counter drugs are believed to be relatively safe, their inappropriate use could have serious implications. The aim of the study was to assess the awareness and practice on over-the-counter drugs among the Mushahar adults of Nawalparasi district, Nepal. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 102 respondents. Non-proba­bility purposive sampling technique was used to select the sample using semi-structured question­naire. Data was collected through face to face exit interview. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics were used for analyzing the data. Results: Majority (91.2%) of the respondents knew that over-the-counter drugs are the unpre­scribed drugs by medical person and majority (95.1%) of the respondents used in case of fever and 83.3% of the respondents used because of easy accessibility More than half (52.9%) of the respondents had practiced over-the-counter drugs at least once within the first six months of data collection. The most preferred over-the-counter drugs were analgesics i.e 44.4%. On analyzing, there found a strong association between awareness level on demographic variables of educa­tional status and occupation with the consumption of over-the-counter drugs as p value was <0.05. Conclusions: Study revealed that people use over-the-counter drugs because of easily availability and the most commonly used drugs were analgesics. So, different awareness programmes to the community and timely monitoring and intervention from the government is needed to prevent the rampant of over the counter drugs.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex K. Owusu-Ofori ◽  
Eric Darko ◽  
Cynthia A. Danquah ◽  
Thomas Agyarko-Poku ◽  
Kwame Ohene Buabeng

Objectives: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the biggest challenges facing mankind. Inappropriate uses of antibiotics including self-medication promote the increase and spread of AMR. Self-medication has not been well-studied among students. This study was undertaken to determine students of healthcare programmes self-medication practices and attitudes in relation to AMR.Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey that used a pretested self-administered questionnaire to elicit responses from first-year students of healthcare programmes at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana from January 2018 to August 2019.Results: Two hundred and eighty students were recruited with 264 of them returning the questionnaire, giving a response rate of 94.3%. Majority were female (68.9%) and participants ages ranged from 16 to 34 years with a mean age (SD) of 19.5 (1.88) years. 136 students (56.2%) had previously purchased antibiotics without a prescription and 78.3% expressed satisfaction with the outcome of self-medication. Amoxicillin (78%) was the most frequent antibiotic bought without a prescription. Majority (76.3%) agreed that self-medication can lead to AMR. Majority (77.0%) believed that antibiotic abuse is a problem in Ghana and 94.8% agreed that the introduction of a course in the University on the rational use of antibiotic will help improve student's knowledge and practices.Conclusion: Self-medication is common among participants despite their knowledge that inappropriate use of antibiotic may lead to resistance. Innovative ways including the introduction of new curricula may help to improve knowledge and to curb wrong attitudes and practices related to antibiotic misuse and ultimately to overcome the problem of AMR.


2018 ◽  
Vol 68 (suppl 1) ◽  
pp. bjgp18X697349
Author(s):  
Anna Lalonde ◽  
Emma Teasdale ◽  
Ingrid Muller ◽  
Joanne Chalmers ◽  
Peter Smart ◽  
...  

BackgroundCellulitis is a common painful infection of the skin and underlying tissues that recurs in approximately a third of cases. Patients’ ability to recover from cellulitis or prevent recurrence is likely to be influenced by their understanding of the condition.AimTo explore patients’ perceptions of cellulitis and their information needs.MethodMixed methods study comprising semi-structured, face-to-face interviews and cross-sectional survey, recruiting through primary care, secondary care and advertising. Adults aged 18 or over with a history of cellulitis (first or recurrent) were invited to complete a survey, take part in an interview or both. Qualitative data was analysed thematically.ResultsThirty interviews were conducted between August 2016 and July 2017. Qualitative data revealed low prior awareness of cellulitis, uncertainty around diagnosis, concern/surprise at the severity of cellulitis, and perceived insufficient information provision. People were surprised they had never heard of the condition and that they had not received advice or leaflets giving self-care information. Some sought information from the internet and found this bewildering. Two hundred and forty surveys were completed (response rate 17%). These showed that, while most people received information on the treatment of cellulitis (60.0%, n = 144), they reported receiving no information about causes (60.8%, n = 146) or prevention of recurrence (73.3%, n = 176).ConclusionThere is a need for provision of basic information for people with cellulitis, particularly being informed of the name of their condition, how to manage acute episodes, and how to reduce risk of recurrence.


2014 ◽  
pp. 133-139
Author(s):  
Duc Tam Lam ◽  
Vu Quoc Huy Nguyen

Backgroud: Cervical cancer is a common disease after breast cancer. That is caused by Human papillomavirus (HPV) and now, we have HPV vaccin to prevent the disease with objectives: to determine rate of correct knowledge, attitudes and practice towards HPV vaccination against cervical cancer of mothers who have daughters aged 1 to 26 years old in An Binh ward, Ninh Kieu district, Can Tho city and to determine the relationship between correct knowledge and correct attitudes and correct behaviors towards vaccination against cervical cancer of these mothers. Materials and method: Cross-sectional, community survey on 410 mothers who are interviewed face to face by using a questionnaire. Results: The rate of correct knowledge, attitude and practice towards HPV vaccination against cervical cancer is 4.4%; 89.5%; 12.2%; respectively. There’s a correlation between correct knowledge and correct behaviors towards vaccination against cervical cancer among mothers (p<0.05), but no correlation between correct knowledge and correct attitudes. Conclusion: the rate of mothers who have correct knowledge and behaviors is relatively low but whose correct attitude is high. Therefore, may be they want to know more information about vaccination against cervical cancer so that it should have appropriate information-education-counseling and health care campaign to community. Keywords: Knowledge, Attitude, practice, vaccine, Human papillomavirus, cervical


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Deng Yan ◽  
Wang Yan-Fang ◽  
Zhu Shi-Yang ◽  
Ma Rui-Lin ◽  
Ding Xue-Song ◽  
...  

Abstract Background To describe the diagnostic criteria used and their application accuracy in the practice of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) caring among obstetricians and gynaecologists across China. Methods This was an Online cross-sectional survey of Obstetricians and gynecologists involved in PCOS caring conducted via the largest continuing education platform of obstetrics and gynecology across China from September 2019 to November 2019. Results A total of 2,328 respondents were eligible for the final analysis. Of these, 94.5 % were general obstetricians and gynaecologists (Ge-ObGyn), and 5.5 % were reproductive endocrinologists (Re-ObGyn). Overall, the most frequently used criteria were the Androgen Excess and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Society (AE-PCOS) criteria (48.2 %), followed by the Rotterdam criteria (35.7 %) and NIH criteria (12.1 %). Of the respondents, 31.3 % used their diagnostic criteria in their clinical practice. More respondents who chose the Rotterdam criteria could accurately apply the diagnostic criteria than those who chose the AE-PCOS criteria (41.2 % vs. 32.1 %, P < 0.001). Compared with Ge-ObGyn, Re-ObGyn were less likely to use the AE-PCOS criteria (adjusted odds ratio, 0.513; 95 % CI, 0.328–0.802; P < 0.05) and 1.492 times more likely to accurately use their criteria (95 % CI, 1.014–2.196; P < 0.05). Conclusions Less than one-third of obstetricians and gynaecologists across China could accurately use the diagnostic criteria they choose to diagnose PCOS. There is an urgent need to train obstetricians and gynaecologists on PCOS diagnosis in an effort to improve the medical care quality of patients with PCOS.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Kwuntida Uthaisar Kotepui ◽  
Manas Kotepui ◽  
Chuchard Punsawad

Malaria is a potential medical emergency and should be treated immediately because delays in diagnosis and treatment are the leading causes of death in many countries. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice related to malaria diagnosis for early detection among healthcare workers in the laboratories of hospitals in Thailand. The design of the study was a descriptive cross-sectional study carried out between January 2016 and March 2017 at 11 hospitals in Thailand. The interviewees included any scientists who were currently working in a medical laboratory. Mean scores for knowledge, attitude, and practice for each healthcare group were calculated and compared between groups. Data analysis was performed using the SPSS version 11.5 software package (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Among a total of 118 healthcare workers, most of the healthcare workers had fair to good knowledge, attitude, and practice related to malaria detection. Among the various positions of healthcare workers, medical technologists possessed a greater knowledge on malaria detection than medical technician assistants or laboratory assistants (X2 = 9.822, d.f. = 2, and P value=0.007). This study infers that knowledge, attitude, and practice related to malaria detection among healthcare workers in laboratories were adequate. However, some points of knowledge and practice must be updated. There is a very urgent need to update knowledge on malaria, especially about the number of Plasmodium species causing relapse in malaria patients. In addition, there is an urgent need to update the practice related to malaria detection, especially about the staining process for early detection of malaria.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariam John Munyogwa ◽  
Kaloli Sayi Ntalima ◽  
Secilia Ng’weshemi Kapalata

Abstract Background Obesity at the workplace has been associated with symptoms of lower self-esteem, increased individual and employer healthcare costs, increased absenteeism and presenteeism and reduced productivity. Therefore, this study was designed to study the prevalence and correlates of central obesity among formal sector employees in Dodoma City. Methods Study design was a cross-sectional survey conducted from March to June, 2019. Participants were employees from formal sector employment defined as those paid regular monthly wage and with either a secured permanent or temporary contract. Simple random sampling was used to select four out of fifteen large buildings hosting various establishments. Respondents were obtained conveniently and interviewed face to face. Central obesity was defined as a waist circumference greater than 102 cm for males and greater than 88 cm for females. Chi-square test was conducted to assess the differences among the groups. Simple and multiple logistic regression models were fitted to identify the correlates of central obesity. Results A total of 392 respondents (98% response rate) agreed and participated in the study. The overall prevalence of central obesity was found to be 41.8% (164/392). The prevalence of central obesity was significantly higher among females (67.4% p < 0.001), respondents aged ≥51 years (60%, p = < 0.001), administrators (55.1% p = < 0.05), respondents with salary of > 1,000,000 Tanzanian Shilling (TSh.) per month (54.4%, p = < 0.05), respondents who eat homemade meals at the workplace (64.2%, p = < 0.05) and respondents with hypertension (62.5%, p = < 0.05). Correlates of central obesity were found to be female sex (AOR = 9.53; 95% CI: 5.49, 16.78), increased age, eating homemade meals at the workplace (AOR = 2.32; 95% CI: 1.04, 4.19) and hypertension (AOR = 3.15; 95% CI: 1.41, 6.91). Conclusions The present study revealed high prevalence of central obesity among formal sector employees in Dodoma City. Scholars and stakeholders are urged to generate more evidences and design appropriate interventions to curb the situation.


2018 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rina Tripathi ◽  
Hafiz A. Makeen ◽  
Ahmed A. Albarraq ◽  
Abdulkarim M. Meraya ◽  
Pankaj Tripathi ◽  
...  

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