Antibiotics: The Most Frequent Misused Medications Items Amongst Children Below Five Years of Age in Samaraa General Hospital
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51699/ijhsms.v2i5.2582Keywords:
antibiotics, children, resistance, abuseAbstract
Introduction: Antibiotics are medicines used to treat bacterial infections—however, their overuse or misuse results in resistance to antimicrobial agents. Resistance is defined as antibiotics' failure to treat the microbes at the same dose and interval. Antibiotic resistance is a global phenomenon, especially in children. There were about 200,000 newborns death resulting from an infection that was caused by multi-drug resistance bacteria, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Purpose: This study highlights the rationale for the inappropriate usage of unnecessary drugs and antibiotics with their limitation and harmful effects on children under five years.
Materials and Methods: This observational cross-sectional study was conducted on 180 children randomly selected in the pediatrics department of Samarra general hospital in Samarra City. They were given a designed, previously validated questionnaire. This study was carried out from 9th March 2020 until 22nd May 2020. Inferential and descriptive statistics were employed to analyze the data.
Results: One hundred eighty parents participated in the current study (47.2 males and 52.7% female, mean age). During the study time, respondents had taken their children to physicians, and antibiotics were prescribed in about 57.22%. Of these, only 79%reported using over-the-counter medications, with antibiotics being the most prevalent drug in 66% of cases. Seventy-one percent of parents insisted on prescribing antibiotics, with pediatricians being the most in charge (59%) with antibiotics prescriptions. In most cases, antibiotics were used in treating viral infections (62%0), whereas they were used less frequently to treat bacterial infections. The current results revealed a significant gap in knowledge regarding antibiotic use among parents (P < 0.05).
Conclusion: The current results revealed poor knowledge of medication use among children, especially antibiotics. These results necessitate educating parents on antibiotic use and applying strict guidelines on prescribing antibiotics. Doctors and licensed health professionals are the sole authority to prescribe antibiotics only if needed to avoid antibiotic resistance. Antibiotics should only be used following WHO guidelines on the safe usage of antimicrobials. Accurate diagnosis, underlying etiology, infection's site and the severity, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics of the used drug, adverse effects, and medication cost are crucial elements to consider for a safe antibiotic prescription.
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