Usage Pattern and Practices of Antibiotics’ Self-Medication among Healthcare Practitioners
Muhammad Shahid Iqbal *
Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al-kharj, 11942, Saudi Arabia.
Salah-ud-Din Khan
Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU), Riyadh, 11432, Saudi Arabia.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Objective: The study aimed to evaluate the usage pattern and current practices of antibiotics’ self-medication among HCPs.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was done using a validated research tool to obtain the required data. Data was obtained using different questions regarding self-medication and usage pattern of antibiotics among HCPs. Descriptive and inferential statistics were applied using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24.0. A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: Different demographic characteristics were studied from the selected cohort of the HCPs. Around 153 (52.9%) of the studied HCPs were females and 136 (47.1%) were males. The studied HCPs were of different professions, whereby 53 (18.3%) from medicine, 103 (35.6%) from pharmacy, 13 (4.45%) from dentistry, 98 (33.9%) from nursing, and 22 (7.6%) from others allied professions.
Conclusion: From the obtained results, it was concluded that all of the studied HCPs had diverse usage pattern and practices towards antibiotics’ usage pattern but still there is a greater need to strictly adhere with and follow the recommended and concerned guidelines regarding antibiotics usage to avoid any unwanted side effects, adverse drug reactions and antibiotic resistance.
Keywords: Self-medication, practice, antibiotics, usage pattern, HCPs