Abstract

Background:

The practice of self-medication with antibiotics is expanding globally, particularly in developing countries. This practice is associated with increasing rates of health-related problems, including antibiotic resistance.

Objective:

A survey was conducted to investigate knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding self-medication with antibiotics among senior undergraduate pharmacy students in Jordan.

Methods:

A cross-sectional study was performed by using a validated questionnaire for data collection. This questionnaire was randomly distributed online to senior undergraduate pharmacy students from a range of universities. Respondents’ knowledge of, attitudes towards, and practice of self-medication with antibiotics were thus assessed. Data analysis was performed using IBM SPSS version 24.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA).

Results:

Among the 250 respondents, who represented a response rate of 66.3%, 80.8% had self-medicated with antibiotics. The majority (85.6%) of antibiotics used for such self-medication were purchased from pharmacy drug stores. The most frequently used antibiotic for self-medication during the prior 6 months was amoxicillin (53.2%), ciprofloxacin (42.4%), and metronidazole (34.4%). Respiratory health issues were the most common reason for self-medication, with tonsilitis (90%) being major reason, then skin infections (34%). About 34% of students had changed their dose during treatment, while 30% kept some antibiotics for future use. Additionally, the majority of students (69.6%) recommended antibiotics to others without prescription, with 24% of students using antibiotics despite receiving advice that these were not required. The mean score for students’ attitudes was 4.06, which indicated a positive attitude towards antibiotics use. The undergraduate senior pharmacy students had good knowledge and positive attitudes yet demonstrated poor practice with regard to antibiotic use, as the prevalence of self-medication was alarmingly high.

Conclusion:

This malpractice highlights the importance of identifying effective and urgent interventions to be performed at different levels, including by educational and regulatory authorities, to mitigate the misuse of antibiotics.

Title

Sage Open Medicine

Publisher

Sage Journals

Publisher Country

United States of America

Indexing

Thomson Reuters

Impact Factor

2.1

Publication Type

Both (Printed and Online)

Volume

13

Year

2025

Pages

1 - 11