Over-the-counter antibiotics in Saudi Arabia, an urgent call for policy makers
| Autor: | Salahaldin Bin Nafesa, Mazen A. Alhumaid, Sharafaldeen Bin Nafisah, Haitham M. AlMuhaidib, Fahad A.S. Al-Eidan, Aliyah H. Alamery |
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| Rok vydání: | 2017 |
| Předmět: |
Adult
Male 0301 basic medicine medicine.medical_specialty Pediatrics medicine.drug_class 030106 microbiology Antibiotics Saudi Arabia Pharmacist Alternative medicine Nonprescription Drugs Self Medication Health Services Accessibility Medication Adherence lcsh:Infectious and parasitic diseases Young Adult 03 medical and health sciences 0302 clinical medicine Intervention (counseling) Pandemic medicine Humans lcsh:RC109-216 030212 general & internal medicine Patient Medication Knowledge Medical prescription business.industry lcsh:Public aspects of medicine Public health Public Health Environmental and Occupational Health lcsh:RA1-1270 General Medicine Middle Aged Legislation Drug Anti-Bacterial Agents Cross-Sectional Studies Infectious Diseases Public Opinion Family medicine Female Over-the-counter business |
| Zdroj: | Journal of Infection and Public Health, Vol 10, Iss 5, Pp 522-526 (2017) |
| ISSN: | 1876-0341 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.jiph.2016.09.016 |
| Popis: | Antibiotics over-consumption is a pandemic that has a tremendous cost on the overwhelmed healthcare system. The accessibility of antibiotics coupled with the misconception of public toward those drugs both of which implicated in the use and misuse of antibiotics. The aim of this study was to investigate the perception of the community toward antibiotics, its purpose and harmfulness, in addition to the accessibility of those drugs as over the counter and without prescriptions. We also investigated the behavior toward antibiotic prescriptions when perceived unnecessary. This is a cross-sectional study in Riyadh-Saudi Arabia based upon a structured self-administered questionnaire. The study included 473 individuals with a mean age of 27 years old. Forty eight percent (n = 227) of the participants obtain antibiotics without prescriptions. Ninety two percent (n = 208) of those noted pharmacist counseling as their method of acquisition. Self-prescription noted in 8.4% (n = 19). Viral illnesses accounted for the highest percentage for seeking antibiotics in 35.5% (n = 166) more commonly among females. Thirty one point eight percent (n = 149) used antibiotics for analgesia while 13.7% (n = 64) believed in their prophylactic use. We also noted that the prevalence of sharing antibiotics is 19.7%. The perceived unnecessary prescriptions uncovered 122 of the participants who reported throwing the prescribed antibiotics away after acquisition. Dispensing antibiotics without prescription is an issue that mandates a political intervention and implementation of the existing laws that prohibit dispensing without proper prescription. We advocate public health measures targeting both healthcare providers and the public on the use and misuse of antibiotics. Keywords: Over the counter antibiotics, Antibiotics without prescriptions, Prudent use of antibiotics |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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