Antibiotic Consumption and Knowledge of Antimicrobial Resistance: Online Survey

Background: Public misconception and demand for the indication of antibiotics could lead to inappropriate prescribing and consumption. Successful treatment can only be achieved when the public and industrial users have knowledge on antibiotic use and resistance. This survey is aimed to assess antibiotic usage and knowledge regarding antibiotics and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) among undergraduate students of Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD), public university located in Brunei Darussalam. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed using a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire was adapted from the World Health Organization (WHO) Antibiotic Resistance, Multi-country public awareness survey distributed online. Students at UBD were invited to participate in the online survey through internal email. The questionnaire consisted of 5 sections: demographic information, antibiotic usage, knowledge on antibiotics, antibiotic resistance (AMR) and use of antibiotics in agriculture. Data were analyzed descriptively and appropriate inferential statistics was used accordingly. Cronbach’s alpha was also done to determine the internal consistency. The section on antibiotic use and knowledge showed good internal consistency of Cronbach’s alpha 0.66 and 0.86 respectively. Research ethics approval was obtained from the PAPRSB Institute of Health Sciences, Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD). Results: A total of 145 students returned the complete questionnaire. The result of the study found that 50% of the students had good level of knowledge of antibiotic and antimicrobial resistance with a mean total knowledge score of 11.4 out of 14. Respondents reported the use of antibiotic in the past (69%). Many of the students could identify the use of antibiotics for the treatment of bacterial infection. However, there were also students who incorrectly thought that antibiotics can be used for cold and flu (43%) and fever (41%). Moreover, 76% of the respondents mistakenly believed that antibiotic resistance is the result of the body becoming resistant to antibiotics. Only 12% of the respondents were found to have poor knowledge in the study. Conclusions: Misconceptions in regards to the use of antibiotics for conditions related to viral illnesses was noticed among the respondents in our study. Thus, improving knowledge on antibiotics is crucial to address those beliefs.

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University Students’ Antibiotic Use and Knowledge of Antimicrobial Resistance: What Are the Common Myths?

Antibiotics ◽

10.3390/antibiotics9060349 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (6) ◽

pp. 349 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Nurul Shaheera Shahpawee ◽

Li Ling Chaw ◽

Siti Hanna Muharram ◽

Hui Poh Goh ◽

Zahid Hussain ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Antibiotic Resistance ◽

Antimicrobial Resistance ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

Online Survey ◽

Public Awareness ◽

Antibiotic Usage ◽

The Body ◽

World Health ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Brunei Darussalam

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.

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Public Health Literacy, Knowledge, and Awareness Regarding Antibiotic Use and Antimicrobial Resistance during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study

Antibiotics ◽

10.3390/antibiotics10091107 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (9) ◽

pp. 1107

Author(s):

Suhaib M. Muflih ◽

Sayer Al-Azzam ◽

Reema A. Karasneh ◽

Barbara R. Conway ◽

Mamoon A. Aldeyab

Keyword(s):

Antibiotic Resistance ◽

Health Literacy ◽

Antimicrobial Resistance ◽

Online Survey ◽

Public Awareness ◽

Antibiotic Use ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Modern Medicine ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional

Multi-drug-resistant (MDR) organisms pose a global threat to modern medicine, which has grown as a result of irrational antibiotic use and misuse. This study aimed to assess general public knowledge in Jordan and awareness of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance during the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional study was carried out utilizing the WHO multicountry public awareness survey. The study population was composed mainly of social media users, and a total of 1213 participants completed the online survey. According to the findings, more than half of the participants were well versed in antibiotic use and resistance. Those with adequate health literacy were found to better understand antibiotics (OR = 1.37, p = 0.017) and antibiotic resistance (OR = 1.46, p = 0.003). The vast majority (88.5%) recognized at least one antibiotic resistance term; however, 53.2% believed that antibiotic resistance is a problem in other nations. The participants in this study reported using antibiotics incorrectly, believing that they were treating sore throats, colds, and flu. The participants were well aware of antibiotic resistance solutions and their consequences on health. Age, education, health literacy, and antibiotic knowledge were found to be substantially (p < 0.05) associated with greater awareness of antibiotic resistance. The findings highlight the need for antimicrobial resistance education campaigns, health literacy, and antibiotic stewardship initiatives.

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Evaluation of Knowledge and Risk Perception about Antibiotic Resistance in Biology and Mathematics Young Students in Nîmes University in France

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18189692 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (18) ◽

pp. 9692

Author(s):

Valentin Duvauchelle ◽

Elsa Causse ◽

Julien Michon ◽

Patrick Rateau ◽

Karine Weiss ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Antibiotic Resistance ◽

Risk Perception ◽

Antibiotic Use ◽

The Body ◽

World Health ◽

Resistance Risk ◽

Similar Survey ◽

Young Students ◽

And Mathematics ◽

Health Organization

In response to the antimicrobial resistance issue, the World Health Organization developed and conducted a survey in 2015 dealing with habits, antibiotic use, awareness of appropriate use and sensitization to the issue of antibacterial resistance. In France, we conducted a similar survey to investigate the use of antibiotics and students’ perceptions of the antibiotic resistance risk. Our results indicated that antibiotics are moderately taken (42% in the last six months), but mistakes remain in appropriate practices and knowledge. Many people still believe that the body develops resistance to antibiotics and 24% responded that antibiotics can be stopped before the end of the treatment if they feel better. Furthermore, only 14% said antibiotics could be used to treat gonorrhea while 57% indicated that influenza could be treated with antibiotics. We looked at risk perception as well, and noticed that students in biology were more aware of risk (mean score = 48.87) and health consequences (mean score = 40.33) than mathematics students (mean score = 44.11 and 37.44). They were more aware of the threat, had a better understanding of antibiotic resistance and their denial of this risk was less significant (mean score = 27.04 against 23.81). However, the importance of providing a minimum level of knowledge to young students has been emphasized, regardless of the field of expertise.

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Antibiotic Use and Antibiotic Resistance: Public Awareness Survey in the Republic of Cyprus

Antibiotics ◽

10.3390/antibiotics9110759 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (11) ◽

pp. 759

Author(s):

Mikaela Michaelidou ◽

Spyridon A. Karageorgos ◽

Constantinos Tsioutis

Keyword(s):

Antibiotic Resistance ◽

Viral Infections ◽

Public Awareness ◽

Antibiotic Use ◽

World Health ◽

Resistant Bacteria ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Awareness Campaigns ◽

Local Evidence

We aimed to assess the knowledge and understanding of antibiotic use and resistance in the general population of Cyprus, in order to inform future antibiotic awareness campaigns with local evidence. Cross-sectional survey following the methodology of the “Antibiotic resistance: Multi-country public awareness survey” of the World Health Organization, during December 2019–January 2020. A total of 614 respondents participated: 64.3% were female and most were aged 35–44 years (33.2%) or 25–34 years (31.8%). One-third had used antibiotics >1 year ago and 91.6% reported receiving advice on appropriate use from a medical professional. Despite high awareness on correct use of antibiotics, lack of knowledge was noted for specific indications, where approximately one-third believed that viral infections respond to antibiotics and 70.7% lack understanding of how antibiotic resistance develops. Higher education graduates exhibited significantly higher knowledge rates. As high as 72.3% were informed about “antibiotic resistant bacteria” from healthcare professionals or social media. Most agreed on the usefulness of most suggested actions to address antibiotic resistance, with higher proportions acknowledging the role of prescribers. Up to 47% could not identify their role in decreasing antibiotic resistance. Our study provides local evidence to inform future efforts in a country characterized by high antibiotic consumption rates.

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Public Awareness and Practices towards Self-Medication with Antibiotics among the Malaysian Population. A Development of Questionnaire and Pilot-Testing

Antibiotics ◽

10.3390/antibiotics9020097 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 97 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Adeel Aslam ◽

Márió Gajdács ◽

Che Suraya Zin ◽

Norny Syafinaz Binti Abd Rahman ◽

Syed Imran Ahmed ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Antibiotic Resistance ◽

Internal Consistency ◽

Content Validity ◽

Public Awareness ◽

Reliability And Validity ◽

Antibiotic Use ◽

Self Medication ◽

Malaysian Population ◽

Validity Indices ◽

Level Of Knowledge

It is well documented that injudicious antibiotic use and practicing self-medication with antibiotics (SMA) can lead to antibiotic resistance. The objective was to validate and develop an instrument in Bahasa Melayu to assess the awareness and practices towards SMA in the Malaysian population. A pilot study was conducted among 100 Malaysians participants. Reliability testing in terms of test-retest, internal consistency, and content validity was performed. One-way ANOVA and t-test were applied to determine significant differences between groups. A panel of nine experts evaluated the research instrument for content validity and it was found to have strong content item validity (Indices = 1). Each domain (level of knowledge and understanding about antibiotic use and antibiotic resistance: Practice towards self-medication) showed good internal consistency of Cronbach’s alpha 0.658 and 0.90. While test-retest reliability value for each domain was 0.773 (p = 0.009), and 0.891 (p = 0.001. The mean ± standard deviation (SD) for level of knowledge about antibiotic use and antibiotic resistance was 21.8 ± 7.02 and for practice scores (SMA) 6.03 ± 2.30. The instrument established sound reliability and validity and, therefore, can be an effective tool for assessing public awareness, and practices toward self-medication with antibiotics in the Malaysian population.

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Using Weibo and WeChat social media channels to assess public awareness and practices related to antimicrobial resistance, China, 2019

BMC Public Health ◽

10.1186/s12889-021-10648-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Lei Wang ◽

Sujian Situ ◽

Jeanette J. Rainey ◽

Bin He ◽

Xiaoge Su ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Antimicrobial Resistance ◽

Text Messaging ◽

Bacterial Infections ◽

Online Survey ◽

Viral Infections ◽

Public Awareness ◽

Antibiotic Use ◽

Tract Infections ◽

Media Channels

Abstract Background Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global healthcare problem, including in China where high rates of resistance to common bacterial infections have been documented. In 2016, the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC) in China established a comprehensive strategic plan to increase awareness about AMR through education programs. Methods We conducted an online survey to assess changes in public knowledge, awareness and practices related to AMR in China since 2016. The survey was administered using China’s national and provincial level 12320 Health Hotline Weibo (micro-blog site) and WeChat (text messaging service) social media accounts from April 12, 2019 to May 7, 2019. All persons ≥16 years of age able to read Chinese were eligible to participate. Results A total of 2773 respondents completed the survey. Of the 2633 respondents indicating recent use of antibiotics, 84% (2223) reported obtaining their course of antibiotics from a hospital or pharmacy, 9% (246) of respondents reported using antibiotics saved from a previous prescription or treatment course, and 42% (1115) of respondents reported that they had stopped taking antibiotics as soon as they started feeling better. Most respondents correctly indicated that antibiotics can effectively treat urinary tract infections (86% [2388]) and skin infections (76% [2119]), but many incorrectly indicated that antibiotics can also treat viral infections such as measles (32% [889]) or a cold or flu (26% [726]). Of all respondents, 95% (2634) had heard of ‘antibiotic resistance’. Almost half (47% [1315]) reported using antibiotics within the last 6 months. Conclusion While awareness of AMR was high in this survey of social media users in China, inappropriate antibiotic use remains common, including the believe that antibiotics can effectively treat viral infections. Multiple interventions targeting the correct use of antibiotics and information on the cause AMR are likely needed. The 12320 Health Hotline provides a platform for conducting routine surveys to monitor antibiotic use and knowledge about AMR.

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Awareness of antibiotic usage and antimicrobial resistance among interns in a tertiary care hospital

International Journal of Basic & Clinical Pharmacology ◽

10.18203/2319-2003.ijbcp20173736 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 6 (9) ◽

pp. 2159

Author(s):

Suchitra D. Akalu ◽

Niveditha G. Belavadi

Keyword(s):

Antibiotic Resistance ◽

Antimicrobial Resistance ◽

Health Care Providers ◽

Tertiary Care ◽

Antibiotic Use ◽

Resistance Mechanisms ◽

Antibiotic Usage ◽

Care Hospital ◽

Care Providers ◽

Strongly Agree

Background: Antibiotic resistance is a global threat and new resistance mechanisms are emerging and spreading globally, threatening our ability to treat common infectious diseases. Reducing the incidence of drug resistant infections is crucial and is a top priority at global and national levels. A study was conducted among interns to assess the awareness related to antibiotic usage and resistance.Methods: The questionnaire was administered to a batch of 75 medical interns whereby their awareness regarding antibiotic use and resistance was assessed by a five point Likert scale, whose responses ranged from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree”, and always to never. Some questions were of true and false type. The data was analysed by using simple descriptive statistics.Results: Out of the 78 interns, 75 participated in the study and completed the questionnaires. All the 75 (100%) interns believed that indiscriminate antibiotic use leads to antimicrobial resistance and 78.6% (n=59) believed that if antimicrobials are taken too often, they are less likely to work in the future. Majority (90.6%) of the interns knew of the fact that common cold and influenza are due to viral aetiology and not bacterial. Regarding the antibiotic practices of the interns, questionnaire addressed questions related to their practices related to use of antimicrobials, 66.6% (n=50) of the interns disagreed on the question that antibiotics are safe drugs, hence can be commonly used while 62.6% (n=47) do not believe that skipping one or two doses of the drug does not lead to antibiotic resistance.Conclusions: The antibiotic resistance crisis has been attributed to the overuse and misuse of these medications. Judicious use of antibiotics is the only solution for which awareness is required at the level of both health care providers and patients. Our study provides an important insight regarding the regarding awareness of antibiotic usage and antibiotic resistance among interns.

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Development of Antimicrobial Stewardship Programmes in Low and Middle-Income Countries: A Mixed-Methods Study in Nigerian Hospitals

Antibiotics ◽

10.3390/antibiotics9040204 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. 204 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Eneyi E. Kpokiri ◽

David G. Taylor ◽

Felicity J. Smith

Keyword(s):

Antibiotic Resistance ◽

Antimicrobial Resistance ◽

Antimicrobial Stewardship ◽

Antibiotic Use ◽

World Health ◽

Local Context ◽

Prescribing Practices ◽

Middle Income ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

Low And Middle Income

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major concern facing global health today, with the greatest impact in developing countries where the burden of infectious diseases is much higher. The inappropriate prescribing and use of antibiotics are contributory factors to increasing antibiotic resistance. Antimicrobial stewardship programmes (AMS) are implemented to optimise use and promote behavioural change in the use of antimicrobials. AMS programmes have been widely employed and proven to improve antibiotic use in many high-income settings. However, strategies to contain antimicrobial resistance have yet to be successfully implemented in low-resource settings. A recent toolkit for AMS in low- and middle-income countries by the World Health Organisation (WHO) recognizes the importance of local context in the development of AMS programmes. This study employed a bottom-up approach to identify important local determinants of antimicrobial prescribing practices in a low-middle income setting, to inform the development of a local AMS programme. Analysis of prescribing practices and interviews with prescribers highlighted priorities for AMS, which include increasing awareness of antibiotic resistance, development and maintenance of guidelines for antibiotic use, monitoring and surveillance of antibiotic use, ensuring the quality of low-cost generic medicines, and improved laboratory services. The application of an established theoretical model for behaviour change guided the development of specific proposals for AMS. Finally, in a consultation with stakeholders, the feasibility of the plan was explored along with strategies for its implementation. This project provides an example of the design, and proposal for implementation of an AMS plan to improve antibiotic use in hospitals in low-middle income settings.

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Antimicrobial use in COVID-19 patients in the first phase of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: Rapid review and evidence synthesis

10.1101/2021.02.18.21251932 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Wenjuan Cong ◽

Ak Narayan Poudel ◽

Nour Alhusein ◽

Hexing Wang ◽

Guiqing Yao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Antibiotic Resistance ◽

Critical Illness ◽

Antimicrobial Resistance ◽

Early Phase ◽

Data Extraction ◽

Antibiotic Use ◽

Rapid Review ◽

Antibiotic Prescribing ◽

Antimicrobial Use ◽

Secondary Infections

AbstractBackgroundAs the numbers of people with COVID-19 continue to increase globally, concerns have been raised regarding the widespread use of antibiotics for the treatment of COVID-19 patients and its consequences for antimicrobial resistance during the pandemic and beyond. The scale and determinants of antibiotic use in the early phase of the pandemic, and whether antibiotic prescribing is beneficial to treatment effectiveness in COVID-19 patients, are still unknown. Unwarranted treatment of this viral infection with antibiotics may exacerbate the problem of antibiotic resistance, while antibiotic resistance may render presumptive treatment of secondary infections in COVID-19 patients ineffective.MethodsThis rapid review was undertaken to identify studies reporting antimicrobial use in the treatment of hospitalised COVID-19 patients. The review was conducted to comply with PRISMA guidelines for Scoping Reviews (http://www.prisma-statement.org/Extensions/ScopingReviews) and the protocol was registered with the Open Science Framework (OSF): http://osf.io/vp6t5. The following databases: Web of Science, EMBASE, PubMed, CNKI & VIP were searched to identify the relevant studies from 1 Dec 2019 up to 15 June 2020; no limits were set on the language or the country where studies were conducted. The search terms used were: ((“Covid-19” or “SARS-CoV-2” or “Coronavirus disease 2019” or “severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2”) and ((“antibiotic prescribing” or “antibiotic use” or “antibiotic*”) or “antimicrobial *” or “antimicrobial therapy” or “antimicrobial resistance” or “antimicrobial stewardship”)). A total of 1216 records were identified through database searching and 118 clinical studies met the inclusion criteria and were taken into data extraction. A bespoke data extraction form was developed and validated through two independent, duplicate extraction of data from five Records. As all the included studies were descriptive in nature, we conducted descriptive synthesis of data and reported pooled estimates such as mean, percentage and frequency. We created a series of scenarios to capture the range of rationales for antibiotic prescribing presented in the included studies.ResultsOur results show that during the early phase of the pandemic, 8501 out of 10 329 COVID-19 patients (82·3%) were prescribed antibiotics; antibiotics were prescribed for COVID-19 patients regardless of reported severity, with a similar mean antibiotic prescribing rate between patients with severe or critical illness (75·4%) and patients with mild or moderate illness (75·1%). The top five frequently prescribed antibiotics for hospitalised COVID-19 patients were azithromycin (28·0 % of studies), ceftriaxone (17·8%), moxifloxacin (14·4%), meropenem (14·4%) and piperacillin/tazobactam (12·7%). The proportion of patients prescribed antibiotics without clinical justification was 51·5% vs 41·9 % for patients with mild or moderate illness and those with severe or critical illness respectively. Comparison of patients who were provided antibiotics with a clinical justification with those who were given antibiotics without clinical justification showed lower mortality rates (9·5% vs 13·1%), higher discharge rates (80·9% vs 69·3%) and shorter length of hospital of stay (9·3 days vs 12·2 days). Only 9·7% of patients in our included studies were reported to have secondary infections.ConclusionsAntibiotics were prescribed indiscriminately for hospitalised COVID-19 patients regardless of severity of illness during the early phase of the pandemic. COVID-19 related concerns and lack of knowledge drove a large proportion of antibiotic use without specific clinical justification. Although we are still in the midst of the pandemic, the goals of antimicrobial stewardship should remain unchanged for the treatment of COVID-19 patients.

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Treatment protocol and effectiveness of cosmeceuticals in aesthetic practice

Journal of Aesthetic Nursing ◽

10.12968/joan.2020.9.4.148 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. 148-153

Author(s):

Lucy Millar-Hume

Keyword(s):

Antibiotic Resistance ◽

Biological Effect ◽

Treatment Protocol ◽

Antibiotic Use ◽

The Body ◽

Level Of Evidence ◽

Physiological Functions ◽

Drug Products ◽

Aesthetic Practice ◽

Oral Isotretinoin

Pharmaceuticals are essentially drug products containing active ingredients that prevent, mitigate, treat disease and/or affect the anatomy or physiological functions of the body. Cosmeceuticals is a term blending the meaning and action of pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, resulting in a product that cannot exert a biological effect on cells, but can nonetheless improve the quality and condition of the skin. Traditional medical methods of treating acne centre around antibiotic use and oral isotretinoin. Antibiotic resistance is a growing problem, and it means aesthetic practitioners must find alternatives. Attention is turning to cosmeceuticals as a solution, but this raises the question of the level of evidence for their growing use.

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