Antibiotic resistance: a hospital-based multicenter study in Tabuk city, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Background: During the 21st century, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has emerged as one of the greatest public health challenges worldwide. In the coming 20 years, health care systems may be unable to treat bacterial diseases efficiently due to this phenomenon. Objective: To determine the level of knowledge regarding AMR among patients attending two hospitals in Tabuk city in northeast Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at King Salman Armed Forces Hospital and King Khalid Armed Forces Hospital in Tabuk city. The study participants were selected from different outpatient departments using a simple random sampling technique. Data collection was performed using a self-reported questionnaire. All of the questions were closed-ended to facilitate study participation and were translated into Arabic. The data were entered into SPSS version 22 for Windows, cleaned and managed before analysis. Results: Our results showed that 26.85% of the respondents had knowledge regarding antibiotic resistance. Knowledge regarding the use of antibiotics for treating bacterial infection was good among participants (60%), but responses related to viral infection indicated confusion (23.06%), and misconceptions were observed. Several factors were significantly associated with knowledge regarding AMR among participants: 1) the use of antibiotics in the last year (OR: 2.102, CI: 0.654–6.754); 2) the discontinued use of antibiotics when feeling better (OR: 8.285, CI: 3.918–17.523); 3) giving antibiotics to friends or family members to treat the same illness ([False]: OR: 108.96, CI: 29.98–395.93) and 4) asking doctors to prescribe antibiotics that had been previously administered for the same symptoms (OR: 9.314, CI: 3.684–23.550). Conclusion: Our results revealed a very high unawareness of AMR and its contributing factors among the study participants. Thus, health education and awareness are highly and urgently recommended to address AMR in the Tabuk area.