Serbian students’ knowledge, attitudes and behaviour towards antibiotic use: is there room for improvement?

Horvat, Olga; Tomas, Ana; Kusturica, Milica Paut; Bukumirić, Dragica; Blagojević, Bojan; Kovačević, Zorana

doi:10.1007/s00038-020-01448-6

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…Furthermore, a study undertaken among non-medical (NM) university students in Serbia reported numerous misconceptions among the student population. The authors even advocated the development of elective courses in order to help improve non-medical students’ knowledge about correct antibiotic use and the need to avoid their misuse [ 43 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Knowledge, attitudes and behaviours regarding antibiotics use among Cypriot university students: a multi-disciplinary survey

2022

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Background The present study aims to investigate the knowledge and attitudes towards antibiotics among students studying medicine, dentistry, and pharmacy at the Near East University in Northern Cyprus. The influence of personality characteristics on antibiotic use were also evaluated, in order to identify predictors of antibiotic misuse. Methods Students were enrolled in the study during the 2020–2021 academic year. Study participants were asked to complete an online questionnaire that measured their knowledge, attitudes and practice (KAP) towards antibiotic use and antibiotic resistance. The KAP of students from the three faculties were compared using Kruskall-Wallis H statistics, Mann-Whitney U statistics, and Spearman’s rho. The influence of personality traits on the propensity to use antibiotics without a prescription, as well as their attitudes and knowledge of antibiotic use and misuse, were also investigated. Results In total, 314 students completed the survey, 52% of which were female. The mean age of the students was 20.5 years. The results showed that among the different disciplines, medical students were significantly more knowledgeable about pharmacological agents, compared to dentistry and pharmacy students, while pharmacy students were more knowledgeable about the effectiveness of antibiotics against different pathogenic microorganisms. All student groups were aware of how antibiotic resistance develops and their role as healthcare personnel in implementing measures against resistance. Appropriate antibiotic use among the student community correlated with study year, highlighting the importance of knowledge and education in the prevention of antibiotic resistance. Personality traits were found to be a contributing factor in students’ tendency to use antibiotics without a prescription. Conclusion This study demonstrates the importance of conveying knowledge about antimicrobials in the education programmes of future dentists, pharmacists and physicians.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Knowledge, attitudes and behaviours regarding antibiotics use among Cypriot university students: a multi-disciplinary survey

2022

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“…Despite the fact that only a small number of patients have coinfections (4.0% in our case), our results support numerous studies indicating disproportionately high rates of antibiotic prescribing without a clear indication [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 ]. Antibiotic use in Serbia is plagued by the poor health education of the general public which leads to frequent self-medication and overall misuse [ 8 , 13 , 14 , 15 ]. It is not surprising that overall antibiotic use has increased in the past decade in Serbia compared to virtually all countries in the European Union (EU) [ 6 ], with significant efforts needed on a national level to curb the development of AMR.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Antibiotic (Mis)Use in COVID-19 Patients before and after Admission to a Tertiary Hospital in Serbia

et al. 2022

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Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global concern, and antibiotic use has risen throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Up to 75% of COVID-19 patients are treated with antibiotics despite little evidence for their use. A retrospective study from 6 March 2020 (the start of the pandemic in Serbia) to 31 December 2021 was conducted at the Clinic for Infectious and Tropical Diseases, University Clinical Centre of Serbia. In total, 523 patients with a microbiological diagnosis of COVID-19 were included. Patient data were analysed, including antibiotic use before and after admission. Pre-admission use of antibiotics for COVID-19 treatment was documented in more than half of patients (58.1%), of which a third (34.1%) used more than one antibiotic. Macrolides, cephalosporins, and fluoroquinolones were mainly used, most frequently among patients aged between 31–45 years (75.2%). Prior antibiotic use was associated with a longer duration of illness at admission (8.8 vs. 5.7, p < 0.001), oxygen therapy upon admission (27.6% vs. 16.0%, p = 0.002), and a lower vaccination rate (60.7% vs. 50.7%, p = 0.04). When hospitalised, 72.1% of patients received antibiotics, primarily cephalosporins (71.9%). Significant efforts are needed to reduce antibiotic use in the community and improve prescribing rates by healthcare professionals.

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“…The factors determining the appropriate use of antibiotics by individuals are influenced by several aspects, including consumers' lack of knowledge about the appropriate use of antibiotics and their adverse effects [29][30][31], as well as their beliefs, expectations and personal experiences with antibiotics [32,33]. Knowledge, attitudes and practice (KAP) studies are often a preferred method to achieve this [34][35][36][37]. These KAP studies focused on knowledge, attitudes and misconceptions about antibiotics and irrational behavior, but did not delve into the self-efficacy of individuals to use antibiotics rationally and were limited methodologically to disaggregated survey data.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reliability and validity evaluation of the appropriate antibiotic use self-efficacy scale for Chinese adults

Wang

Liang

et al. 2022

BMC Public Health

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Background Antibiotic resistance is one of the greatest threats to global public health. Inappropriate use of antibiotics can lead to an increase in antibiotic resistance. Individual self-efficacy in the appropriate use of antibiotics plays a key role, especially in China where the population has easy access to antibiotics. However, there are no tools available to assess the self-efficacy of appropriate antibiotic use for Chinese adults. We aimed to translate and develop a Chinese version of the Appropriate Antibiotic Use Self-Efficacy Scale (AAUSES), and validate its reliability and validity. Methods A total of 659 adults were recruited to participate in the questionnaire. The original version scale was first translated into Chinese using the backward and forward translation procedures. The internal consistency reliability of the scale was measured by the Cronbach alpha coefficient, the test-retest reliability, and the corrected item-total correlation. The validity of the scale was assessed by the content validity index, exploratory factor analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis. Results The content validity index of the scale was 0.96. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) supported a 4-factor structure of the translated questionnaire, and the discriminant validity of the scale was good. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) showed in the model fitness index, the chi-square degree of freedom was 2.940, the goodness-of-fit index(GFI) was 0.929, the incremental fit index (IFI) was 0.908, the comparative fit index(CFI) was 0.906, root mean square error of approximation(RMSEA) was 0.077, and standardized root mean residual (SRMR) was 0.0689, and the model fitting indexes were all in the acceptable range. Cronbach alpha coefficient for the scale was 0.910. The test-retest reliability was 0.947, and the corrected item-total correlations for the items ranged from 0.488 to 0.736. Self-efficacy for appropriate antibiotic use in adults varied by education, occupation, income, place of residence, and whether or not they had heard of antibiotic resistance. Conclusions The results indicated that the Chinese version of the AAUSES had good reliability and validity. Therefore, it can be considered a tool to evaluate the appropriate antibiotic use self-efficacy of adults in China.

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Serbian students’ knowledge, attitudes and behaviour towards antibiotic use: is there room for improvement?

Cited by 4 publications

References 32 publications

Knowledge, attitudes and behaviours regarding antibiotics use among Cypriot university students: a multi-disciplinary survey

Knowledge, attitudes and behaviours regarding antibiotics use among Cypriot university students: a multi-disciplinary survey

Antibiotic (Mis)Use in COVID-19 Patients before and after Admission to a Tertiary Hospital in Serbia

Reliability and validity evaluation of the appropriate antibiotic use self-efficacy scale for Chinese adults

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