Health Literacy, Antibiotic Use Behaviors, and Awareness of Antimicrobial Resistance Among Patients in Karachi, Pakistan
Tooba Adil, Aleeza Almas, Ambreen Naz, Aqsa Ujjan, Rushna Zafar, Tooba Altaf, Fizza Najam, Aysha Kanwal, Unzila Zaheer, Laraib AyazBackground:
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a public health problem that is emerging due to inappropriate use of antibiotics and a lack of public awareness. The aim was to evaluate the knowledge, awareness, attitudes, and practices of patients attending a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan, regarding antibiotic use and antimicrobial resistance.
Methods:
A cross-sectional study of 276 adults who had previously used antibiotics was carried out. The health literacy and antibiotic-use knowledge, AMR awareness, knowledge of AMR terminology, antibiotic-use practices, and perceptions of AMR were surveyed with a structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and χ 2 tests were used for data analysis.
Results:
Forty-six percent (46.0%) of the participants had adequate knowledge of antibiotic use while 60.1% had adequate knowledge about AMR. Of those who responded, over half (51.1%) had not heard any terminology related to AMR. About half said they needed help reading instructions from a medical professional. Antibiotic use was prevalent in the past month, experienced by 42.8% of participants. Antibiotic knowledge was significantly associated with education level (
Conclusion:
Knowledge of antibiotic use and AMR is moderate, but there are gaps in knowledge, awareness, and understanding of AMR terminology, and antibiotic-use practices. There is a need for education programs and antimicrobial stewardship measures to encourage prudent use of antibiotics.