Institute of Tropical Medicine and International Health, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany.
Centre for Health Services and Policy Research, School of Population and Public Health, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
Travel Med Infect Dis. 2018 Mar-Apr;22:25-29. doi: 10.1016/j.tmaid.2018.02.004. Epub 2018 Feb 16.
The irrational use of antibiotics is increasing in Jordanian refugee camps and consequently so too is bacterial resistance. About one-third of health expenditures at UNRWA health centers in Jordan are attributed to antibiotics.
We studied knowledge, attitude and behaviour of Palestine refugees attending UNRWA health centers in Jordan regarding antibiotic use in order to plan public health interventions accordingly.
A cross-sectional, interviewer-administered survey among 250 adult Palestine refugees at four different health centers was conducted.
Irrational antibiotic use was widespread: 63% of patients share antibiotics at home, 38% use left-over antibiotics and 60% purchase antibiotics directly from the pharmacy without prescription (OTC) . At the same time, knowledge about antibiotics side effects, resistance, and target agent was low. 90% of patients trust their doctor, however long waiting hours prevent them from seeking medical advice, which significantly increased self-medication.
Our findings suggest a strong need for public education about antibiotics. In addition, health institutional level improvements such as shorter waiting hours and strict regulations prohibiting dispensing without prescription are necessary to combat growing bacterial resistance.
在约旦难民营中，抗生素的不合理使用正在增加，细菌耐药性也随之增加。在近东救济工程处（UNRWA）在约旦的卫生中心，约三分之一的卫生支出用于抗生素。
我们研究了在约旦的 UNRWA 卫生中心就诊的巴勒斯坦难民对抗生素使用的知识、态度和行为，以便相应地规划公共卫生干预措施。
在四个不同的卫生中心对 250 名成年巴勒斯坦难民进行了横断面、访谈者管理的调查。
不合理的抗生素使用非常普遍：63%的患者在家中分享抗生素，38%使用剩余的抗生素，60%直接从药店购买抗生素而无需处方（OTC）。同时，对抗生素副作用、耐药性和靶标药物的知识知之甚少。90%的患者信任他们的医生，但长时间的等待时间阻止他们寻求医疗建议，这大大增加了自我用药的情况。
我们的研究结果表明，非常有必要开展公众对抗生素的教育。此外，还需要改善卫生机构层面，如缩短等候时间和严格规定禁止无处方配药，以应对日益严重的细菌耐药性问题。
