Authors : Sunita S Patil, Saket Agarwal
DOI : 10.18231/j.ijpp.2019.028
Volume : 6
Issue : 4
Year : 2019
Page No : 132-136
Introduction: Awareness about the use of antibiotics and its resistance is necessary to minimize the threat of emerging resistance. A questionnaire-based survey was conducted to analyse this knowledge among the studied population.
Objectives: To bring awareness of antibiotics use, its disposal and to initiate medicine take-back program in the community.
Materials and Methods: The present community-based descriptive, cross-sectional study with Mon purposive convenient sampling methods for sample collection performed on 650 families (2200 participants), from southwest Maharashtra population. The data was collected by giving questionnaires to the participants, related to antibiotics, its safety and disposal methods in English and local language designed by the author and confirmed by the institutional research committee. The data was analysed by descriptive analysis of all the variables to obtain frequency and percentage.
Result: Ignorance about antibiotics and its resistance was seen in 76.9% population, 61.5% population believed antibiotics were harmless, 65.9% population continued the full course of antibiotics as prescribed, 81.4% population were not instructed by doctors about the hazards of not taking full course of antibiotics prescribed and 66.1% took antibiotics without prescription. 70.5% participants reported sharing antibiotics with others. Unawareness of antibiotics disposal was seen in 60% population who threw them in the trash as it is. Unused or unwanted medicines were collected by the investigator and either disposed of or reused (if in good condition) for needy patients. At the end of the visit, participants were instructed on proper use of antibiotics.
Conclusion: The antibiotics knowledge in the studied population was low. Instructions were given to bring awareness regarding the use of antibiotics, its resistance and proper disposal.
Keywords: Antibiotics, Resistance, Public health, Antimicrobial resistance, Questionnaire.