Irrational and Excessive Use of Antibiotics in Children: A Survey on Parent's Knowledge, Practice and Attitudes in Bangladesh

Background and Aim: Antibiotic resistance is a term of global concern worldwide. Irrational and misuse of antibiotic is one of the key factors for this resistance. We aimed to analyze the attitude, knowledge and practices of antibiotics use among parents of children presenting to a tertiary care hospital in Bangladesh. Also, correlate it with the gender, education level and previous use of antibiotics by the parents. Methodology: A cross sectional study was performed at a Shishu Hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh from November 2017 to March 2018 and a total of 1200 parents were interviewed using a questionnaire developed by the authors. Statistics were used for the analysis of data. Results and Discussion: A total of 1160 parents were included in the present study. Around 15.51% parents correctly identified that antibiotics are used against bacterial infections and only 17.25% parents of total participants knew the meaning of the term antibiotic resistance. Majority of the parents (70.68%) appreciated that misuse of antibiotics could harm the child. Around 67.79% parents mentioned that they don’t use leftover antibiotics from the previous prescription for the next time without doctor’s consult. Our observation was that misconceptions exist about the use and indications of antibiotics. Lack of knowledge about antibiotic resistance was prevalent. But participants were aware of the risks associated with misuse of antibiotics. Conclusion: Pediatricians and involvement of mass media may help to improve the antibiotics knowledge and practices among parents and consequently, control the problem of antibiotic resistance.