Knowledge, attitude and practice of using antibiotics as self-medication among non-medical graduates

  • Authors

    • Asha V
    • Karthik D Yadav
    2017-06-27
    https://doi.org/10.14419/ijdr.v5i2.7871
  • Knowledge, Attitude, Practice, Non-Medical Graduates, Self-Medication, Over the Counter (OTC), Antibiotics

  • Background: Antibiotic abuse is a major concern in the modern era of internet. The ease of availability of drugs, lack of time to visit a doctor, poverty, the lack of knowledge about antibiotics, the influence of relatives, friends and advertising media seems to be the major contributing factors for self-medication. The objective of the study was to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of antibiotics as self-medication among non-medical graduates.

    Methodology: A validated, self-administered questionnaire on knowledge, attitude and practice was used to collect data from 400 non-medical graduates.

    Results: Statistical analysis was done by Chi-square and Multiple response test. Results revealed that 163(68%) B.E and 95(59%) B.Com graduates were aware of antibiotics. Majority of graduates (>90%) in both the groups have the opinion that antibiotics are “Over the Counter†(OTC) drugs and that they have adverse effects.

    Conclusion: Majority of B.E and B.Com graduates were aware of antibiotics, but not of their side effects. They had the misconception that antibiotics are “OTC†drugs. The most common reason for self-medication was the previous use of same medication.

  • References

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  • How to Cite

    V, A., & Yadav, K. D. (2017). Knowledge, attitude and practice of using antibiotics as self-medication among non-medical graduates. International Journal of Dental Research, 5(2), 101-102. https://doi.org/10.14419/ijdr.v5i2.7871