Knowledge and attitude towards antibiotic use and awareness on antibiotic resistance among older people in Malaysia

Antibiotic and elderly

Authors

  • Koo Hui Sien Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz 50300 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
  • Marhanis Salihah Omar Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz 50300 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

Keywords:

Antibiotic resistance, Antibiotic use, Elderly

Abstract

Antibiotic resistance is a significant global health concern. The challenges of antibiotics usage among
elderly include antibiotic overuse, antibiotic resistance, dosing of antibiotics and adverse effects. This study aimed
to evaluate the knowledge and attitude towards antibiotics usage among the elderly as well as the awareness on
antibiotic resistance. A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted in outpatient department of a tertiary hospital
in Malaysia from September 2016 to November 2016 using researcher-assisted and validated questionnaires. A total
number of 250 elderly patients were recruited and majority of them (n=152, 60.8%) had moderate level of knowledge, with a median (IQR) score of 6.00(3.00) out of 12 points and positive attitude with a median (IQR) score of 7.00(1.00) out of 8 points. There was a positive correlation between knowledge and attitude scores (r = 0.335, p<0.001). Generally, awareness on antibiotic resistance was low as majority of the elderly respondents were not familiar (n=182, 71.8%) with the term “antibiotic resistance” and had never hear or read about antibiotic resistance before (n=150, 60.0%). In conclusion, majority of the elderly respondents had moderate level of knowledge and positive attitude towards antibiotics, implying the necessities of having public awareness campaigns to rectify the incomplete understanding of antibiotic use.

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Published

2018-06-15

How to Cite

Sien, K. H., & Omar, M. S. . (2018). Knowledge and attitude towards antibiotic use and awareness on antibiotic resistance among older people in Malaysia: Antibiotic and elderly. Proceedings of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences: B. Life and Environmental Sciences, 55(2), 1–9. Retrieved from https://ppaspk.org/index.php/PPAS-B/article/view/176

Issue

Vol. 55 No. 2 (2018)

Section

Research Articles

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