Self-medication with antibiotics and awareness of antibiotic resistance among population in Arar city, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Introduction: Self-medication with pharmaceutical products can be defined as the use of these products without a medical prescription, and the production, distribution, and sale of these products are the client’s responsibility, while they think it is within rational usage. Among these products, antibiotics remain the most serious problem leading to the spread of antibiotic resistance, with consequences of increased morbidity, mortality, and extended hospital stays.

Methodology: This is a cross-sectional study aimed to estimate the prevalence of self-medication with antibiotics among Arar city population and assessing their awareness of antibiotic resistance. Data had been collected through a self-administered validated online questionnaire. Data entry and analysis were performed using a statistical package for the social science program (SPSS) version 20.

Results: The overall number of respondents to our survey was 462, with 56.7% female and 43.3% male participants. The prevalence of self-medication with antibiotics was (77.5%). The main reasons for self-medication with antibiotics were ease of use (54.6%) and cost-saving (24.8%). When asked about what they think about self-medication with antibiotics for self-care, 20.1% of our participants thought that it is a good practice and 41.6% thought that it is an acceptable practice. 81.4 % of respondents thought that antibiotic resistance occurs when your body becomes resistant to antibiotics and no longer works well

Conclusions: In the Northern region, despite the open and rapid access to medical care services, it appears that a high proportion of young adult population prefers custom antibiotics without a medical prescription.