Antibiotics are important and essential armamentarium against bacterial infections. Resistance to antibiotics is an emerging global public health problem, attributed to many factors, including injudicious use. Medical students in India have been taught about the microbes as well as pharmacological aspects of antibiotics in their second professional year by microbiology and pharmacology departments respectively. But the knowledge acquired would be incomplete if the application aspects are found wanting, like self-medication practice.
Objectives1. To evaluate the Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) towards antibiotic usage among undergraduate medical students
2. To understand the effect of curriculum on their knowledge regarding antibiotic use.
3. To identify gaps in knowledge, attitude and practice among medical students from antibiotic use perspective.
4. To assess the self-medication of antibiotics among the students.
Methods: A cross sectional Questionnaire based survey was done over a period of two months (July – August, 2019) in Government Villupuram Medical College on medical students who had completed their second professional year. Out of 204 prefinal and final year M.B.B.S students; 150 were selected based on homogeneous, purposive sampling. Validated Questionnaire for KAP (Knowledge, Attitude and Self-medication Practice) with respect to antibiotic use was administered and responses were collected.
Results: Almost all had adequate knowledge about rational use of antibiotics as per 10-item Questionnaire (48.6% scored 10 out of 10; 42.6% scored 9/10; 6.6% scored 8/10 and 1.3% scored 7/10). Results for attitude aspect showed that most agreed that antibiotic resistance was a major public health problem and antibiotics were freely available. For 64% of study population newer antibiotics were more efficacious whereas 48% stated costly drugs were more efficacious. 45.3% of students self-medicated themselves with antibiotics without consulting a doctor in the previous year.
Conclusion: The results revealed that theoretical knowledge and attitude about antibiotic usage translated inadequately into practice, necessitating interventions from clinical departments so that when medical students enter internship as well as after completion of the course, they start using antibiotics judiciously.
