Assessing attitudes towards antibiotics use: Is it still a cause for concern? A mixed methods study

Abstract

Background: Dispensing an antibiotic medication without a physician's prescription is a common issue in Saudi Arabia. Recent reforms were implemented to tackle the problem, including financial penalties and revocation of pharmacist licenses. This study aimed to assess the inappropriate use of antibiotics, identifying the most frequently used antibacterial medications and therapeutic indications. Methods: This is an exploratory sequential mixed methods study. Results: Nine interviews were conducted. The most frequently prescribed antibiotic medications were as follows: Fucicort® cream, Fusibact B® cream, Fusibact® cream, Fusiderm® cream, Anazol®, Augmentin®, Ciprocin®, Zimax®, Dexaflox®, Tobradex® and Tymer® (p < 0.05). Of the 329 participants, 44.6% (n = 147) indicated that they had misused antibiotic medications, almost half of which (40.7% [n = 60]) occurred within the past two years. Males were more likely to use antibiotics without prescriptions (p < 0.05). Thirty per cent of the sample (n = 82) purchased antibiotics without prescriptions. Two hundred participants (60.7%) reported purchasing at least one of the antibiotics mentioned above without prescriptions. Community pharmacy was the most frequent source for obtaining antibiotics without a physician's prescription (48%). Discussion and Conclusion: People are still using and purchasing antibacterial medications without prescriptions. This is paramount to decision makers, as the results showed noticeable non-compliance with the current policy regulating dispensing prescription medicines.