Prevalence and Determinants of Antibiotic Self-Administration Among Adult Antibiotic Users: A Cross-Sectional Study

INTRODUCTION: Each year, antibiotics save hundreds of thousands of lives; nonetheless, antibiotic self-administration is a major concern all over the world. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of antibiotic self-administration among two-month adult antibiotic users as well as the factors contributing to this prevalence. METHOD AND PARTICIPANTS: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 295 Bangladeshi adults between May 22nd and June 15th, 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Descriptive statistics included frequency distribution, while inferential statistics included the Pearson chi-square test. For data analysis, the statistical software STATA-16 was used. RESULTS: In this study, the prevalence of antibiotic self-administration was 17.97%. Antibiotic self-administration was found to be significantly more prevalent among those who were unable to take antibiotic on time, incomplete doses, did not know over prescriptions may cause antibiotic resistance, and could not correctly recognize amoxicillin and azithromycin are antibiotics. CONCLUSION: Due to the increased rate of antibiotic self-administration among adults in Bangladesh, the responsible authority should give more attention towards the factors responsible for antibiotic self-administration and revise their current policy to ensure the safe and effective use of antibiotics.