Department of Infection Prevention and Control, An-Najah National University Hospital, Nablus, 44839, Palestine.
Department of Clinical and Community Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, Nablus, 44839, Palestine.
BMC Pediatr. 2024 Sep 14;24(1):582. doi: 10.1186/s12887-024-05060-y.
Antibiotics are widely used in the pediatric population, and their inappropriate use contributes to antibiotic resistance, which is a growing concern in developing countries. Therefore, this national cross-sectional study aimed to assess community pharmacists' knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding appropriate antibiotic use and dosing in pediatric patients and to explore the barriers to such use in Palestine.
A questionnaire-based survey was conducted among community pharmacists on the West Bank, Palestine, from September 2022 to March 2023. The survey assessed the pharmacists' sociodemographic characteristics; knowledge, practices, and attitudes toward antibiotic use; and understanding of antibiotic dosing. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and the factors affecting pharmacists' knowledge were evaluated.
The study included 301 community pharmacists, with an average age of 30.06 years, who were primarily female (75.1%). The majority of the pharmacists (80.1%) correctly believed that antibiotics are effective against bacterial infections. However, 18.3% believed that antibiotics are effective against viruses. While 61.8% knew that antibiotics kill germs, 32.0% were unaware that not all antibiotics require refrigeration. Furthermore, 67.8% were aware that antibiotics do not speed up recovery from diarrhea. Over 99% of the participants recognized that antibiotic resistance developed due to various resistant mechanisms. The majority (78.7%) believed that each infection needed a different antibiotic. Pharmacists demonstrated reasonable knowledge of antibiotic dosing in case scenarios. Knowledge was positively correlated with years of experience (P = 0.001).
This study revealed that community pharmacy professionals have a good understanding of antibiotic usage in pediatric patients. The findings suggest that professional expertise and quality training improve healthcare services. However, the results may not be universally applicable, as identifying knowledge gaps is necessary to help with the development of focused interventions. Therefore, ongoing educational initiatives, awareness campaigns and antibiotic stewardship programs are recommended.
抗生素在儿科人群中广泛使用，其不合理使用导致抗生素耐药性的产生，这在发展中国家是一个日益严重的问题。因此，本项全国性横断面研究旨在评估社区药剂师在儿科患者中合理使用和剂量调整抗生素方面的知识、态度和实践，并探讨在巴勒斯坦使用抗生素的障碍。
本研究于 2022 年 9 月至 2023 年 3 月期间在巴勒斯坦西岸的社区药剂师中开展了一项基于问卷调查的研究。该调查评估了药剂师的社会人口统计学特征；抗生素使用的知识、实践和态度；以及对抗生素剂量的理解。使用描述性统计方法分析数据，并评估影响药剂师知识的因素。
本研究纳入了 301 名社区药剂师，平均年龄为 30.06 岁，主要为女性（75.1%）。大多数药剂师（80.1%）正确认为抗生素对细菌感染有效。然而，18.3%的药剂师认为抗生素对病毒有效。虽然 61.8%的药剂师知道抗生素可以杀死细菌，但 32.0%的药剂师不知道并非所有抗生素都需要冷藏。此外，67.8%的药剂师知道抗生素不会加速腹泻的康复。超过 99%的参与者认识到抗生素耐药性是由于各种耐药机制的发展。大多数（78.7%）药剂师认为每种感染都需要使用不同的抗生素。药剂师在案例情景中表现出合理的抗生素剂量知识。知识与工作年限呈正相关（P=0.001）。
本研究表明，社区药房专业人员对儿科患者使用抗生素有很好的理解。研究结果表明，专业知识和质量培训可以改善医疗服务。然而，结果可能不适用于所有情况，因为需要确定知识差距，以帮助制定有针对性的干预措施。因此，建议开展持续的教育计划、宣传活动和抗生素管理计划。
