Petro Benedicto J, Mkumbaye Sixbert Isdory, Bakar Rukia Rajab, Yussuf Nassra Is-Hak, Horumpende Pius G, Mawazo Akili, Kajeguka Debora Charles
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College, Moshi, Tanzania.
Department of Clinical Laboratory, Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre, Moshi, Tanzania.
Rwanda J Med Health Sci. 2021 Dec 30;4(3):347-356. doi: 10.4314/rjmhs.v4i3.4. eCollection 2021 Dec.
Antibiotics are commonly accessed and used for the management of illness in children without a prescription. We investigated the caretaker's knowledge and practices on antibiotics and antibiotics use to their children.
This was the hospital-based cross-sectional study conducted from April to July 2017 in three facilities located in Moshi Municipality. A convenience sampling was employed to select for caretakers with their sick children at KCMC, Mawenzi hospital, and Longuo dispensary. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 224 caretakers who had visited health facilities with their children seeking health care.
The majority (87.9%, 197/224) of all interviewed caretakers had good knowledge of the use of antibiotics. Irrespective of knowing that it is not safe to self-medicate a child with any antibiotics (95.1%, 213/224), most (61.6%, 138/224) caretakers practiced self-medication with the medicines. Having two children (aOR = 7.75, 95% CI: 1.89-31.67) and having three children (aOR=7.23, 95%CI: 1.08-48.51) were significantly associated with good knowledge of antibiotics.
This study has revealed that caretakers in Moshi had a good knowledge of antibiotic use. However, despite such good knowledge, malpractices were observed. We call upon the use of media campaigns to advocate for the importance of the rational use of antibiotics and its effect on human health and the risk of antimicrobial resistance development.
抗生素在没有处方的情况下通常很容易获取并用于儿童疾病的治疗。我们调查了看护人对抗生素及其给孩子使用抗生素的知识和做法。
这是一项于2017年4月至7月在莫希市的三个医疗机构进行的基于医院的横断面研究。采用便利抽样法，在基奎特基督教医疗中心、马温齐医院和隆戈药房选择带着患病孩子的看护人。对224名带着孩子前往医疗机构寻求医疗服务的看护人进行了面对面访谈。
所有接受访谈的看护人中，大多数（87.9%，197/224）对抗生素的使用有良好的了解。尽管知道给孩子自行服用任何抗生素都不安全（95.1%，213/224），但大多数（61.6%，138/224）看护人仍自行给孩子用药。有两个孩子（调整后比值比 = 7.75，95%置信区间：1.89 - 31.67）和有三个孩子（调整后比值比 = 7.23, 95%置信区间：1.08 - 48.51）与对抗生素的良好了解显著相关。
本研究表明，莫希的看护人对抗生素的使用有良好的了解。然而，尽管有这样的良好了解，仍观察到了不当做法。我们呼吁开展媒体宣传活动，倡导合理使用抗生素的重要性及其对人类健康的影响以及产生抗菌药物耐药性的风险。
