Antibiotics Knowledge and Resistance Awareness in Non-Medical Colleges: A Case Study at Tikrit University

Abstract

Background:  Antibiotic use among the Arab population has changed over time, often leading to misuse and contributing to the rise of antimicrobial resistance.

Objective: This study sought to tackle this concern by assessing the knowledge and attitudes of a sample of university students at Tikrit university regarding antibiotic use and resistance development, with the goal of creating strategies to mitigate the risk of antibiotic resistance.

Methods: Paper-based cross-sectional survey was conducted over two months covering students from different non-medical colleges at Tikrit University. Data were collected, organized, tabulated and represented as percent.

Results: The present study showed that a large percent of participants had bad knowledge about whether antibiotics is effective against bacteria or virus as well as there is misconception about whether antibiotics considered a medication that can be prescribed without medical prescription with 80% of respondent believe that antibiotics are over the counter drugs. Approximately 60% of participants showed awareness about the definition of antibiotics resistance and other general knowledge about the main factors contributing to this resistance. Moreover, our data regarding practices towards antibiotics showed that approximately 60% of participants completed the course of antibiotics while less than 40% of them cease taking the antibiotics once they start feeling better before completing their treatment course.

Conclusion: Our results revealed that while most participants exhibited adequate knowledge and practices regarding antibiotic use, their attitudes toward it were lacking. Implementing health education initiatives and promotional campaigns is crucial to curb antibiotic misuse by enhancing public awareness.