Alajami Hamdan N, Saeed Abdullah M, Aldosari Abdullah N, Alkharan Azzaz M, Lubbad Fatima A, Almutairi Hind M, Mazeed Nuha N, Alwallan Samah S, Alzhrani Jasser A
Pharmaceutical Care Services, King Saud Medical City, Riyadh, SAU.
Pharmaceutical Care, East Jeddah General Hospital, Jeddah, SAU.
Cureus. 2022 Dec 20;14(12):e32720. doi: 10.7759/cureus.32720. eCollection 2022 Dec.
Background Antibiotic resistance is growing worldwide due to the magnitude of the rational and irrational use of antibiotics, particularly in children. Evidence regarding the use of antibiotics without a prescription in Saudi children is limited, and the factors that affect frequent antibiotic use in children are poorly understood. Therefore, we investigated the rate of the use of antibiotics in Saudi children reported by their parents and the factors associated with parents that affect the use of antibiotics in children. Methods A cross-sectional survey using a 27-item self-administered questionnaire was conducted among parents living in Saudi Arabia. Parents with at least one child aged 16 years or less were eligible to participate in the study. The results were analyzed via descriptive and inferential statistics. Results A total of 284 parents participated in the study. Of the participants, 81% (n = 230) had given their children at least one course of antibiotics, and 57% of their children were male (n = 164). Many parents did not have a regular general practitioner (GP) for providing care to their children (n = 201, 70%). Further, 164 (n = 71%) parents administered antibiotics without consulting a general practitioner. Neither the parent and child demographics nor the parent knowledge and behavioral variables were significantly associated with the parent's variable of interest in the administration of antibiotics. Conclusions Generally, parents reported alarmingly high rates of antibiotic use among their children. Reducing the unnecessary use of antibiotics in children is crucial for preventing antimicrobial resistance. No apparent statistically significant factor was identified as being associated with antibiotic use. The need for additional measures to limit antibiotic use in children may be warranted. Initiatives to educate parents for consulting a regular general practitioner for their children before administering antibiotics may improve the health outcomes of children.
背景 由于抗生素合理和不合理使用的规模，抗生素耐药性在全球范围内不断增加，尤其是在儿童中。关于沙特儿童无处方使用抗生素的证据有限，而且影响儿童频繁使用抗生素的因素也知之甚少。因此，我们调查了沙特儿童家长报告的儿童使用抗生素的比例以及与家长相关的影响儿童使用抗生素的因素。方法 对居住在沙特阿拉伯的家长进行了一项横断面调查，使用一份包含27个项目的自填式问卷。至少有一个16岁及以下孩子的家长有资格参与该研究。通过描述性和推断性统计分析结果。结果 共有284名家长参与了该研究。在参与者中，81%（n = 230）曾给孩子使用过至少一个疗程的抗生素，其中57%的孩子为男性（n = 164）。许多家长没有为孩子提供护理的固定全科医生（n = 201，70%）。此外，164名（n = 71%）家长在未咨询全科医生的情况下给孩子使用抗生素。家长和孩子的人口统计学特征以及家长的知识和行为变量均与家长在给孩子使用抗生素方面的相关变量无显著关联。结论 总体而言，家长报告其孩子使用抗生素的比例高得惊人。减少儿童不必要的抗生素使用对于预防抗菌药物耐药性至关重要。未发现与抗生素使用相关的明显统计学显著因素。可能有必要采取额外措施来限制儿童抗生素的使用。开展教育家长在给孩子使用抗生素前咨询固定全科医生的倡议可能会改善儿童的健康状况。
