Awareness of the use and misuse of antibiotic therapy amongst healthcare professionals working in a local private hospital

Abstract

Studies from around the world have investigated the practice of the general public and the prescribing practices of general practitioners and have illustrated the extensive abuse of antibiotics in the community. Other studies have shown that education is the key to improve the situation by demonstrating the positive effects left behind by national or community based campaigns. Yet, none have investigated the effect which healthcare professionals (HCPs) may potentially have on the world-wide attempt to improve antibiotic use. Nonetheless, their level of cognition and awareness on the topic needs to be first evaluated prior to utilising their continuous interaction with patients as a means to educate the people on the importance of correct antibiotic use. This study was therefore conducted to explore the awareness of the use and misuse of antibiotic therapy amongst healthcare professionals working in a local private hospital. An exploratory, quantitative approach was used for this study and was achieved by means of a questionnaire randomly distributed to different HCPs working in a local private hospital. The study investigated the personal practice of the HCPs with regards to antibiotics and explored the level of knowledge which HCPs have on the indications of the medication. From a response rate of 47.6% and following manual and content analysis of the responses, the results showed that all HCPs, excluding doctors, have a general low level of knowledge on the indications of antibiotic therapy. Although the personal practices of the HCPs are satisfactory, it was noted that a certain degree of abuse exists amongst doctors and nurses. Several recommendations based on the findings of this study were drawn up and these included providing extensive lectures to be given to the HCPs working in this specific hospital, encouraging doctors to discuss antibiotic resistance with their patients prior to prescribing them antibiotics and issuing information leaflets to the public on the importance of correct antibiotic use.