Antibiotic Use Practices and Awareness of Antimicrobial Resistance Among Adult Patients Visiting Outpatient Departments in Pakistan
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61919/jhrr.v6i6.2015Keywords:
Antibiotics; Antimicrobial Resistance; Awareness; Self-Medication; Adherence; Outpatients; PakistanAbstract
Background: Antibiotic misuse contributes substantially to antimicrobial resistance, particularly in settings where antibiotics may be used without adequate medical supervision, discontinued prematurely, or taken for viral illnesses. Adult outpatients represent an important population for assessing antibiotic-related awareness and practices because outpatient encounters are common points of antibiotic prescribing, patient demand, and self-medication. Objective: This study aimed to assess antibiotic-use practices and awareness of antimicrobial resistance among adult patients attending general medicine and family medicine outpatient departments at Ittefaq Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan. Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted over six months among 322 adult outpatient patients selected through non-probability consecutive sampling. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire assessing antibiotic awareness, correct antibiotic knowledge, antimicrobial-resistance awareness, correct understanding of antimicrobial resistance, self-medication, and completion of prescribed antibiotic courses. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 27, and categorical variables were summarized as frequencies, percentages, and 95% confidence intervals. Results: Antibiotic awareness was reported by 300 participants (93.1%), while correct antibiotic knowledge was present in 116 participants (35.9%). Awareness of antimicrobial resistance was reported by 188 participants (58.3%), and correct understanding of antimicrobial resistance was present in 158 participants (49.0%). Self-medication with antibiotics was reported by 61 participants (18.9%), and incomplete completion of prescribed antibiotic courses was reported by 97 participants (30.1%). Conclusion: Although general antibiotic awareness was high, correct knowledge of antibiotic use and antimicrobial resistance remained limited, and inappropriate antibiotic-use practices were reported by a meaningful proportion of adult OPD patients. Targeted outpatient counselling, patient education, pharmacist involvement, and antimicrobial-stewardship interventions are needed to improve rational antibiotic use.
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