Medical Research Center, Kateb University, Kabul, Afghanistan.
Medical Governance Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan.
Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther. 2022 Feb;20(2):315-321. doi: 10.1080/14787210.2021.1951229. Epub 2021 Jul 15.
Self-medication with antibiotics (SMA) is a common cause of antibiotic resistance, a major public health problem. This research aimed to identify the prevalence of SMA and explore reasons for practicing SMA among people living in Kabul, Afghanistan.
A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from May to November 2017 in 12 community pharmacies operating across Kabul, Afghanistan. Multivariable logistic regression was conducted to identify the factors associated with the use of SMA.
Out of 385 participants, 282 (73.2%) practiced SMA during the last year. Overall, 241 (62.6%) were 'very concerned' about the use of SMA, and 156 (40.5%) highlighted it is bad to practice SMA. The top three antibiotics used for self-medication were penicillin (ATC class: J01C), metronidazole (ATC: P01AB01), and ceftriaxone (ATC: J01DD04). Economic problems, lack of time to visit doctors, and ease of use were cited as the main reasons for practicing SMA. Furthermore, female participants were less likely to practice SMA compared to male counterparts.
While efforts should be directed to enforce strict drug regulations system and awareness programs, priority should be given to provide accessible, affordable, and quality health care services to increase citizen's compliance to appropriate drug prescriptions.
自我医疗使用抗生素（SMA）是抗生素耐药性的一个常见原因，也是一个主要的公共卫生问题。本研究旨在确定阿富汗喀布尔居民中 SMA 的流行率，并探讨其实施原因。
2017 年 5 月至 11 月期间，在阿富汗喀布尔的 12 家社区药店中进行了一项基于社区的横断面研究。采用多变量逻辑回归分析确定与 SMA 使用相关的因素。
在 385 名参与者中，282 名（73.2%）在过去一年中实施了 SMA。总体而言，241 名（62.6%）对 SMA 的使用“非常关注”，156 名（40.5%）强调实施 SMA 是不好的。用于自我医疗的前三种抗生素是青霉素（ATC 类别：J01C）、甲硝唑（ATC：P01AB01）和头孢曲松（ATC：J01DD04）。经济问题、缺乏看医生的时间和使用方便被认为是实施 SMA 的主要原因。此外，与男性参与者相比，女性参与者不太可能实施 SMA。
尽管应该努力加强严格的药物监管制度和宣传计划，但应优先提供可及、负担得起和高质量的医疗保健服务，以提高公民对适当药物处方的遵守程度。
