Pharmacists must educate public on correct antibiotic use, says study

A recent study has found gaps in patient knowledge regarding appropriate antibiotic use and delayed prescribing, which can serve as an opportunity for community pharmacists to educate these people and become involved in outpatient antibiotic stewardship.

In this study, the authors sought to assess the knowledge of the general public about appropriate antibiotic use and their experiences regarding delayed antibiotic prescriptions by administering a cross-sectional survey at community pharmacies from September 2018 to January 2019. Individuals aged >18 years, with self-reported ability to speak and read English, were eligible to join.

The survey contained 22 items, collecting demographics, knowledge regarding appropriate use of antibiotics, and participant understanding and experiences of delayed antibiotic prescribing. The authors used descriptive statistics to assess demographics and chi-square to compare responses between demographics.

A total of 347 respondents completed the survey, of whom 91.6 percent were Caucasian, 58.2 percent female, and 59.1 percent aged ≥60 years. Those with high school education or below had higher odds of believing that antibiotics kill viruses (43.1 percent vs 20.9 percent, respectively; p<0.01) and that antibiotics are effective on most coughs and colds (31.4 percent vs 16.2 percent, respectively; p=0.01).

In addition, delayed antibiotic prescriptions were more frequently offered to individuals who had received such prescription in the last year than those who had not (36.1 percent vs 15 percent; p<0.001).

“Most antibiotic prescriptions originate in the outpatient setting, and an estimated 30 percent are unnecessary,” the authors said. “Pharmacists are well positioned to positively impact antibiotic prescribing habits.”