Patients (of primary health care in Bialystok) knowledge about antibiotics usage in respiratory diseases

Background. Insufficient patients knowledge about aims of used antibiotics might foster misuse, or improper antibiotics usage.

Aim. The aim of the study was to investigate patients’ knowledge of Bialystok family doctor about the use of antibiotics in the treatment of respiratory tract infections.

Material and methods. Two hundred patients from a family doctor practice from Bialystok were anonymously surveyed in the time period of July–September 2005. In the research, there were used author’s questionnaire surveys. Questions in the questionnaire concerned patients knowledge about antibiotics, their usage, noncompliance, and sources of knowledge about antibiotics.

Results. Almost all respondents 99% have used antibiotics at least once in their life. Only 22.5% of the respondents knew, that antibiotics are used in the tratment of bacterial infections. Among study participants 32.5% admitted, that they missed some doses of the antibiotics and 38% of the surveyed respondents failed to buy the antibiotics because of their price. The main source of the patients knowledge is a doctor (90.5%).

Conclusions. Knowledge of Bialystok family doctor patients on the effects of antibiotics and the natural history of virus infection is low. Failure to follow doctor’s recommendations by the primary health care patients in Bialystok, during antibiotic treatment is fairly common, manifesting itself in the failure to obtain the medication from the pharmacy, or skipping some doses of antibiotics. The main source of the patients knowledge about antibiotics work is the doctor.

Nursing Topics 2014; 22 (1): 35–41